as in encouraging
to fill with courage or strength of purpose
his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder
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Recent Examples of emboldening
Both pledge to end negotiations, blaming Petro’s approach for weakening the state and emboldening armed groups.
—
Catherine Ellis,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Critics say those decisions are emboldening the administration to ignore judges' orders.
—
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Critics say those decisions are emboldening the administration to ignore judges’ orders.
—
Sudhin Thanawala,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
The city’s failure to investigate or correct the conduct has only resulted in emboldening it, the suit said.
—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2026
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a violent crackdown.
—
Julia Nikhinson,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
This is thanks to Venus and Mars working together in your sensible 6th house, emboldening you to streamline routines and add creative flair to useful habits.
—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Jan. 2026
But experts worry this audacious undertaking risks fraying the last remaining threads of international norms, emboldening autocracies into new acts of aggression without fear of consequences.
—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
5 Jan. 2026
But those tactics seem to have backfired, emboldening those who were skeptical of the new map proposal.
—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
15 Dec. 2025
Catherine Ellis,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2026
Critics say those decisions are emboldening the administration to ignore judges' orders.
—
ABC News,
2 May 2026
Critics say those decisions are emboldening the administration to ignore judges’ orders.
—
Sudhin Thanawala,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2026
The city’s failure to investigate or correct the conduct has only resulted in emboldening it, the suit said.
—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
23 Jan. 2026
Those abroad fear the information blackout is emboldening hard-liners within Iran’s security services to launch a violent crackdown.
—
Julia Nikhinson,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
This is thanks to Venus and Mars working together in your sensible 6th house, emboldening you to streamline routines and add creative flair to useful habits.
—
Tarot.com,
Baltimore Sun,
7 Jan. 2026
But experts worry this audacious undertaking risks fraying the last remaining threads of international norms, emboldening autocracies into new acts of aggression without fear of consequences.
—
Charlie Campbell,
Time,
5 Jan. 2026
But those tactics seem to have backfired, emboldening those who were skeptical of the new map proposal.
—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
15 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for emboldening
Verb
-
The new searchable databases work against those calls, encouraging Germans to look more closely at their own families’ association with Nazism and prompting fresh reflections on how ordinary citizens came to normalize extremism.
-
Passionate Mars in your 11th House of Friends sextiles Jupiter in your 1st House of Identity, encouraging brave outreach that feels warm and realistic.
Verb
-
As leaders, our role is to invest the lessons of the past into what will be, inspiring history-minded citizens everywhere.
-
Just having around a 13-year former MLB pitcher should be inspiring to players next season.
Cite this Entry
“Emboldening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/emboldening. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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