encourage

See also: encouragé

English

Alternative forms

• incourage (archaic)

Etymology

From Middle English encouragen, encoragen, from Anglo-Norman encoragier, from Old French encoragier. Displaced native Old English hiertan, tyhtan, and trymman.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/, /ɪnˈkɝ.ɪd͡ʒ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Hyphenation: en‧cour‧age

Verb

encourage (third-person singular simple present encourages, present participle encouraging, simple past and past participle encouraged) (transitive)

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

   I encouraged him during his race.

   Delia's coach encouraged her to focus on the positives.

2. To spur on, strongly recommend.

   We encourage the use of bicycles in the town centre.

   We encourage you to cycle instead of taking the car.

3. To foster, give help or patronage
   • 1987 December 20, Tim Scaggs, “No Other Choice But To Go On A Hunger Strike”, in Gay Community News, volume 15, number 23, page 5:

     They remove all sense of self-responsibility from us prisoners. We have virtually no control over any aspect of our lives. This does not encourage our ability to return to community life outside.

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

Synonyms

• bield
• embolden

Antonyms

• discourage

Derived terms

• encouragement
• encourager
• encouraging
• encouragingly

Related terms

• courage

Translations

mentally support or motivate

• Arabic: شَجَّعَ (šajjaʕa)
• Armenian: քաջալերել (hy) (kʻaǰalerel), խրախուսել (hy) (xraxusel)
• Aromanian: mbãrbãtedz, inimusescu
• Azerbaijani: ruhlandırmaq (az)
• Belarusian: заахво́чваць impf (zaaxvóčvacʹ), падбадзёрваць impf (padbadzjórvacʹ)
• Bulgarian: насърча́вам (bg) impf (nasǎrčávam), окуража́вам (bg) impf (okuražávam), обнадежда́вам (bg) impf (obnadeždávam) (hope)
• Catalan: encoratjar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 鼓勵／鼓励 (gu² lai⁶)

  Mandarin: 鼓勵／鼓励 (zh) (gǔlì), 激勵／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
• Italian: incoraggiare (it)
• Japanese: 勇気付ける (ゆうきづける, yūkizukeru), 奨励する (shōrei suru)
• Khmer: ត្រឹក (km) (trək), ចលនា (km) (caʼlaʼnaa)
• Korean: 격려하다 (ko) (gyeongnyeohada)
• Latin: hortor (la), exhortor, adhortor, corrōborō, animo, incito, excito, cogo (la)
• Lithuanian: padrąsinti
• Maori: whakatītina, whakamanawa
• Mongolian: please add this translation if you can
• Nepali: तताउनु (tatāunu)
• Norwegian: oppmuntre (no)
• Old English: hiertan
• Persian: تشویق کردن (fa) (tašviq kardan)
• Polish: wspierać (pl), dodawać odwagi, popierać (pl), dopingować (pl)
• 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)
• Serbo-Croatian: hrabriti (sh) impf, ohrabrivati (sh) impf, ohrabriti (sh) pf
• Slovene: spodbuditi
• Spanish: animar (es), alentar (es), estimular (es), promover (es)
• Swedish: sporra (sv), uppmuntra (sv)
• Telugu: ప్రోత్సాహము (te) (prōtsāhamu)
• Thai: ให้กำลังใจ
• Turkish: teşvik etmek (tr), cesaretlendirmek (tr), yüreklendirmek (tr)
• Tày: bom
• Ukrainian: заохо́чувати impf (zaoxóčuvaty), підбадьо́рювати impf (pidbadʹórjuvaty), підтри́мувати impf (pidtrýmuvaty)
• Vietnamese: cổ vũ (vi)

spur on, recommend

• Armenian: խրախուսել (hy) (xraxusel)
• Bulgarian: поощря́вам (bg) impf (pooštrjávam), насърча́вам (bg) impf (nasǎrčávam)
• Catalan: recomanar (ca), alenar (ca), encoratjar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 提倡 (zh) (tíchàng)

• Danish: anbefale (da)
• Dutch: aanmoedigen (nl)
• Esperanto: kuraĝigi, instigi
• Estonian: julgustama (et)
• Finnish: suositella (fi), rohkaista (fi)
• French: encourager (fr)
• German: empfehlen (de)
• Greek: παρακινώ (el) (parakinó), συνιστώ (el) (synistó), παροτρύνω (el) (parotrýno)
• Hebrew: המליץ m (himlits), עוֹדֵד (he) ('odéd)
• Italian: raccomandare (it), esortare (it)
• Latin: hortor (la)
• Maori: whakakipakipa, whakatenatena, akiaki, whakahauhau, whakatītina
• Norwegian: anbefale (no)
• Old English: tyhtan, trymman
• 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

• Catalan: patrocinar (ca), afavorir (ca)
• Danish: støtte
• Dutch: bevorderen (nl), patroneren (nl), steunen (nl)
• Esperanto: vigligi, subteni
• Finnish: tukea (fi), suosia (fi), suojella (fi), avustaa (fi), rohkaista (fi)
• Greek: ενθαρρύνω (el) (entharrýno)
• Hungarian: támogat (hu)
• Italian: favorire (it)
• 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

• Malay: ^{(please verify)} galak (ms)
• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} recomendar (es), ^{(please verify)} motivar (es)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} ప్రోత్సహించు (te) (prōtsahiñcu)

French

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

Verb

encourage

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