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 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

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkʌɹɪdʒ/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɪnˈkɝɹɪdʒ/

• 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.

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 (šajjaʿa)
• Armenian: քաջալերել (hy) (kʿaǰalerel), 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)
• Catalan: encoratjar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 鼓勵, 鼓励 (gu² lai⁶)

  Mandarin: 鼓勵 (zh), 鼓励 (zh) (gǔlì), 提倡 (zh) (tíchàng), 激勵 (zh), 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)
• Khmer: ត្រឹក (km) (trək), ចលនា (km) (caʼlaʼnaa)
• Korean: 격려하다 (ko) (gyeongnyeohada)
• Latin: hortor (la), 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: 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)
• 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)
• Ukrainian: заохо́чувати impf (zaoxóčuvaty), підбадьо́рювати impf (pidbadʹórjuvaty), підтри́мувати impf (pidtrýmuvaty)
• Vietnamese: cổ vũ

spur on, recommend

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

• Hebrew: המליץ‎ m (himlits), עוֹדֵד‎ (he) ('odéd)
• Italian: raccomandare (it), esortare (it)
• 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

• 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, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Spanish: ^{(please verify)} recomendar (es), ^{(please verify)} motivar (es)

• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} ప్రోత్సహించు (te) (prōtsahiñcu)

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French

Verb

encourage

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