hearten

verb

heart·​en ˈhär-tᵊn How to pronounce hearten (audio)
heartened; heartening ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce hearten (audio)
ˈhärt-niŋ

transitive verb

: to give heart to : cheer
hearteningly
ˈhär-tᵊn-iŋ-lē How to pronounce hearten (audio)
ˈhärt-niŋ-
adverb
Choose the Right Synonym for hearten

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 hearten in a Sentence

The team's victory has heartened its fans. thinking we were hopelessly lost, we were heartened by the sight of a familiar farmhouse
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The group was heartened by the experience of performing at the first edition of the post-hardcore- and emo-leaning Best Friends Forever festival earlier this month in Las Vegas, where scene peers such as Cap’n Jazz and Sunny Day Real Estate were greeted like visiting royalty. Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 26 Oct. 2024 Cramer was also heartened by Wells Fargo’s positive commentary about the broader economy. Julie Coleman, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2024 That’s why patients like Bauder – who has created an online community to share her experience of living with allergies – are heartened by the attention being put on this condition. Natallie Rocha, The Mercury News, 11 Oct. 2024 Despite the current hostile climate for the trans community, we were also heartened to celebrate two openly trans leaders who made our inaugural ranking. Sydney Lake, Fortune Europe, 18 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hearten 

Word History

First Known Use

1524, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hearten was in 1524

Dictionary Entries Near hearten

Cite this Entry

“Hearten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearten. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

hearten

verb
heart·​en ˈhärt-ᵊn How to pronounce hearten (audio)
heartened; heartening ˈhärt-niŋ How to pronounce hearten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
: to cheer up : encourage

More from Merriam-Webster on hearten

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!