encourage

See also: encouragé

English

Etymology

From Middle English encouragen, encoragen, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Anglo-Norman encoragier, from (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old French encoragier from en- +‎ corage "courage". Displaced native Middle English belden, bielden (“to encourage”) (from Old English bieldan (“to encourage”)), Middle English bealden, balden (“to encourage”) (from Old English bealdian (“to encourage, make bold”)), Middle English herten (“to encourage, enhearten”) (from Old English hiertan, hyrtan (“to enhearten”)), Old English elnian (“to encourage, strengthen”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkʌɹɪdʒ/
• IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkɝɪdʒ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: en‧cour‧age

Verb

(transitive)

1. To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.

   I encouraged him during his race.

2. To spur on, strongly recommend.

   We encourage the use of bicycles in the town centre.

3. To foster, give help or patronage

   The royal family has always encouraged the arts in word and deed

Synonyms

• bield
• embolden

Antonyms

• becourage
• discourage

Derived terms

• encouragement
• encouraging
• encouragingly

Related terms

• courage

Translations

mentally support or motivate

• Arabic: شَجَّعَ (šajjaʕa)
• Armenian: քաջալերել (hy) (kʻaǰalerel), խրախուսել (hy) (xraxusel)
• Aromanian: mbãrbãtedz, inimusescu
• Belarusian: заахво́чваць impf (zaaxvóčvacʹ), падбадзёрваць impf (padbadzjórvacʹ)
• Bulgarian: насърчавам (bg) (nasǎrčavam), окуражавам (bg) (okuražavam)
• Catalan: encoratjar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 鼓勵／鼓励 (gu² lai⁶)

  Mandarin: 鼓勵／鼓励 (zh) (gǔlì), 鼓励 (zh) (gǔlì), 提倡 (zh) (tíchàng), 激勵／激励 (zh) (jīlì), 激励 (zh) (jīlì)

• Czech: povzbudit (cs)
• Danish: opmuntre (da)
• Dutch: bemoedigen (nl), aanmoedigen (nl)
• Esperanto: kuraĝigi
• Estonian: õhutama
• Finnish: rohkaista (fi), kannustaa (fi)
• French: encourager (fr)
• Georgian: წახალისება (c̣axaliseba), გამხნევება (gamxneveba), შეგულიანება (šegulianeba)
• German: ermutigen (de), ermuntern (de)
• Greek: ενθαρρύνω (el) (entharrýno)

  Ancient: παραμυθέομαι (paramuthéomai), ὀτρῡ́νω (otrū́nō)

• Hebrew: עודד (he) m (oded), עודד (he) (odéd), ראה בחיוב (ra'á b'khiyúv)
• Hungarian: bátorít (hu), felbátorít (hu), biztat (hu), buzdít (hu)
• Irish: spreag
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Italian: incoraggiare (it)
• Japanese: 勇気付ける (ゆうきづける, yūki-zukeru)
• Khmer: ត្រឹក (km) (trək), ចលនា (km) (cɑllənaa)
• Korean: 격려하다 (ko) (gyeongnyeo-hada)
• Latin: hortor (la), adhortor, corrōborō, animo, incito, excito, cogo (la)
• Lithuanian: padrąsinti
• Maori: whakatītina, whakamanawa
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Norwegian: oppmuntre (no)
• Old English: please add this translation if you can
• Persian: تشویق کردن (fa) (tašviq kardan)
• Polish: wspierać (pl), dodawać odwagi, popierać (pl), dopingować
• Portuguese: encorajar (pt), incentivar (pt)
• Romanian: încuraja (ro), îmbărbăta (ro), însufleți (ro)
• Russian: ободря́ть (ru) impf (obodrjátʹ), обо́дрить (ru) pf (obódritʹ), поощря́ть (ru) impf (pooščrjátʹ), поощри́ть (ru) pf (pooščrítʹ), воодушевля́ть (ru) impf (vooduševljátʹ), воодушеви́ть (ru) pf (vooduševítʹ)
• Slovene: spodbuditi
• Spanish: animar (es), alentar (es), estimular (es), promover (es)
• Swedish: uppmuntra (sv)
• Telugu: ప్రోత్సాహము (te) (prōtsāhamu)
• Thai: ให้กำลังใจ
• Turkish: teşvik etmek (tr), cesaretlendirmek (tr), yüreklendirmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: заохо́чувати (zaoxóčuvaty), підбадьо́рювати (pidbadʹórjuvaty), підтри́мувати (pidtrýmuvaty)
• Vietnamese: cổ vũ

spur on, recommend

• Armenian: խրախուսել (hy) (xraxusel)
• Bulgarian: поощрявам (bg) (pooštrjavam)
• Danish: anbefale (da)
• Dutch: aanmoedigen (nl)
• Esperanto: kuraĝigi, instigi
• Estonian: julgustama (et)
• Finnish: rohkaista (fi)
• French: encourager (fr)
• German: empfehlen (de)
• Greek: παρακινώ (el) (parakinó), συνιστώ (el) (synistó), παροτρύνω (el) (parotrýno)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hebrew: המליץ m (hemlits)
• Latin: hortor (la)
• Maori: whakakipakipa, whakatenatena, akiaki, whakahauhau, whakatītina
• Norwegian: anbefale (no)
• Polish: namawiać (pl) impf, namówić (pl) pf, zachęcać (pl) impf, zachęcić (pl) pf
• Portuguese: recomendar (pt)
• Russian: поощря́ть (ru) impf (pooščrjátʹ), поощри́ть (ru) pf (pooščrítʹ)
• Spanish: recomendar (es), alentar (es)
• Turkish: önermek (tr), teşvik etmek (tr)
• Ukrainian: заохо́чувати (zaoxóčuvaty)

foster, give help or patronage

• Danish: støtte
• Dutch: bevorderen (nl), patroneren (nl), steunen (nl)
• Esperanto: vigligi, subteni
• Greek: ενθαρρύνω (el) (entharrýno)
• Hungarian: támogat (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Polish: popierać (pl)
• Spanish: patrocinar (es)
• Turkish: desteklemek (tr)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} recomendar (es), ^{(please verify)} motivar (es)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• (deprecated template usage) Telugu: ప్రోత్సహించు (prOtsahiMchu)

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French

Verb

encourage

1. inflection of encourager:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. singular imperative