embolden

verb

em·​bold·​en im-ˈbōl-dən 

emboldened; emboldening; emboldens

transitive verb

: to impart boldness or courage to : to instill with boldness, courage, or resolution enough to overcome timidity or misgiving

Great leaders embolden the rest of us to rise to our highest potentialities, to be active, insistent and resolute in affirming our own sense of things.

—Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

… being near her twin did seem to embolden her, to loosen her tongue.

—John Updike

… other voices too timid to speak in class are often emboldened by the different and more protected role an online conversation provides.

—Richard A. Lanham

Synonyms

• bear up
• buck up
• buoy (up)
• cheer (up)
• chirk (up)
• encourage
• hearten
• inspire
• inspirit
• steel

Choose the Right Synonym for embolden

encourage, inspirit, hearten, embolden mean to fill with courage or strength of purpose.

encourage suggests the raising of one's confidence especially by an external agency.

the teacher's praise encouraged the students to greater efforts

inspirit, somewhat literary, implies instilling life, energy, courage, or vigor into something.

patriots inspirited the people to resist

hearten implies the lifting of dispiritedness or despondency by an infusion of fresh courage or zeal.

a hospital patient heartened by good news

embolden implies the giving of courage sufficient to overcome timidity or reluctance.

emboldened by her first success, she tried an even more difficult climb

Examples of embolden in a Sentence

his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder

Recent Examples on the Web

The vote is widely viewed as a referendum on the popular but polarizing president known for pulling millions of Mexicans out of poverty while weakening some of the country’s key institutions, emboldening the military and failing to stem an epidemic of brutal gang violence. —Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2024

But what also concerns me is the language of hatred and fear Trump regularly uses to talk about immigrants, which only further emboldens extremists. —Mike Levin, Orange County Register, 21 May 2024

That was the case in the 1967 Six-Day War that saw Israel seize the Gaza Strip, the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), the Golan Heights, and the Sinai Peninsula, a stunning military win that also had the effect of emboldening long-term Arab opposition and hostility to the Jewish state. —Richard English, TIME, 17 May 2024

Bubbly Mercury bursts into your 11th House of Networking, emboldening you to put your best foot forward with new acquaintances. —Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 15 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

embolden

verb

em·​bold·​en im-ˈbōl-dən 

: to make bold