Encouraging — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /in-ˈkər-i-jiŋ/ en·cour·ag·ing

Meaning & Definition of Encouraging

Encouraging (adjective)

  1. giving hope or promise

Encouraging (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having qualities which inspire hope

    "encouraging signs that the economy is improving"

    similar: auspicious, bright, fair, golden, heartening, hopeful, likely, optimistic, promising, propitious, rose-colored, roseate, rosy, upbeat
    related: cheering, comforting, reassuring, soothing, assured, confident, decisive, doubtless, positive, sure, unhesitating, beamish, bullish, eupeptic, favorable, good
    opposite: bleak, dark, depressing, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, dismal, downbeat, dreary, gloomy, hopeless, inauspicious, pessimistic, unencouraging, unlikely, unpromising, unpropitious
    near: cheerless, comfortless, doubtful, dubious, uncertain, bearish, grim, negative, unfavorable, funereal, glum, gray, miserable, wretched

  2. making one feel good inside

    "the encouraging story of a young girl who overcame great social and physical obstacles to become an outstanding athlete"

    similar: cheering, comforting, fulfilling, gladdening, gratifying, heartening, heartwarming, rewarding, satisfying
    related: affecting, inspiring, inspiriting, moving, poignant, stirring, touching, edifying, elevating, uplifting, sympathetic, tender, kind, kindly, loving, warm, animating, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, invigorating, rousing, stimulating, thrilling, pleasing, pleasurable, welcoming
    opposite: demoralizing, depressing, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting
    near: cheerless, disappointing, disgruntling, displeasing, dissatisfying, heartbreaking, heartrending, saddening, discomforting, disconcerting, dismaying, distressing, disturbing, upsetting, cold, unfeeling, unfriendly, unkind, unloving, unpleasant

  3. pointing toward a happy outcome

    "we're off to an encouraging start on this project"

    similar: auspicious, bright, favorable, golden, heartening, hopeful, promising, propitious
    related: fortunate, fortuitous, happy, lucky, providential, advantageous, beneficial, profitable, prosperous, salutary
    opposite: dim, discouraging, disheartening, futureless, hopeless, inauspicious, unfavorable, unpromising, unpropitious
    near: unfortunate, unhappy, unlucky, calamitous, catastrophic, disastrous, fatal, ruinous, baleful, dark, dire, direful, doomy, foreboding, gloomy, ill, ill-boding, menacing, minatory, ominous, portentous, sinister, threatening

Encouraging (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to fill with courage or strength of purpose

    "a pep talk that encouraged the team to get out there and win"

    similar: bearing up, bucking up, buoying (up), cheering (up), chirking (up), emboldening, heartening, inspiring, inspiriting, steeling
    related: animating, enlivening, invigorating, enforcing, fortifying, reinforcing, strengthening, assuring, reassuring, boosting, energizing, exciting, galvanizing, provoking, quickening, rallying, stimulating, stirring
    opposite: daunting, discouraging, disheartening, dispiriting
    near: demoralizing, depressing, saddening, debilitating, enfeebling, hamstringing, undermining, weakening, intimidating, psyching (out)

  2. to help the growth or development of

    "asserted that the government should be encouraging small businesses, not smothering them with regulations"

    similar: advancing, cultivating, forwarding, fostering, furthering, incubating, nourishing, nursing, nurturing, promoting
    related: advocating, backing, championing, endorsing, supporting, upholding, endowing, financing, funding, patronizing, staking, subsidizing, underwriting, abetting, aiding, assisting, advertising, boosting, plugging, publicizing, touting, agitating (for), campaigning (for), working (for)
    opposite: discouraging, frustrating, hindering, inhibiting
    near: banning, barring, enjoining, forbidding, interdicting, outlawing, preventing, prohibiting, proscribing, battling, combating, contending (with), countering, fighting, opposing, repressing, snuffing (out), squashing, squelching, stifling, subduing, suppressing, arresting, checking, halting, retarding, encumbering, fettering, hobbling, impeding, interfering (with), manacling, obstructing, shackling

  3. to rouse to strong feeling or action

    "the movie's cheap special effects will not encourage audiences to sit on the edge of their seats but to roll in the aisles with laughter"

    similar: arousing, exciting, firing (up), impassioning, inciting, instigating, moving, piquing, provoking, revving (up), sparking, stimulating, stirring, building a fire under
    related: fanning, igniting, inflaming, kindling, triggering, activating, animating, driving, energizing, galvanizing, inducing, inspiring, keying (up), motivating, motiving, pumping up, quickening, setting off, vitalizing, abetting, fermenting, fomenting, raising, whipping (up), angering, enraging, maddening, upsetting, jeering, taunting, teasing, aggravating, annoying, bothering, exasperating, galling, getting, irritating, vexing
    near: calming, soothing, subduing, tranquilizing, appeasing, mollifying, pacifying, placating

  4. to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action

    "the pastor continues to encourage the couple to work out their problems in hopes of saving their marriage"

    similar: egging (on), exhorting, goading, nudging, pressing, prodding, prompting, urging
    related: driving, propelling, spurring, stimulating, hurrying, hustling, pushing, rushing, adjuring, beseeching, imploring, importuning, blandishing, cajoling, coaxing, soft-soaping, wheedling, high-pressuring, nagging, needling, pressuring, fomenting, inciting, instigating, provoking, stirring (up)
    near: deterring, discouraging, dissuading, braking, checking, constraining, curbing, holding back, inhibiting, restraining

Related Entry: Encourage (verb)

Encourage is a different word from Encouraging. The synonyms below are for encourage, not for encouraging.

  1. to fill with courage or strength of purpose

    "a pep talk that encouraged the team to get out there and win"

    similar: bear up, buck up, buoy (up), cheer (up), chirk (up), embolden, hearten, inspire, inspirit, steel
    related: animate, enliven, invigorate, enforce, fortify, reinforce, strengthen, assure, reassure, boost, energize, excite, galvanize, provoke, quicken, rally, stimulate, stir
    opposite: daunt, discourage, dishearten, dispirit
    near: demoralize, depress, sadden, debilitate, enfeeble, hamstring, undermine, weaken, intimidate, psych (out)

  2. to help the growth or development of

    "asserted that the government should be encouraging small businesses, not smothering them with regulations"

    similar: advance, cultivate, forward, foster, further, incubate, nourish, nurse, nurture, promote
    related: advocate, back, champion, endorse, support, uphold, endow, finance, fund, patronize, stake, subsidize, underwrite, abet, aid, assist, advertise, boost, plug, publicize, tout, agitate (for), campaign (for), work (for)
    opposite: discourage, frustrate, hinder, inhibit
    near: ban, bar, enjoin, forbid, interdict, outlaw, prevent, prohibit, proscribe, battle, combat, contend (with), counter, fight, oppose, repress, snuff (out), squash, squelch, stifle, subdue, suppress, arrest, check, halt, retard, encumber, fetter, hobble, impede, interfere (with), manacle, obstruct, shackle

  3. to rouse to strong feeling or action

    "the movie's cheap special effects will not encourage audiences to sit on the edge of their seats but to roll in the aisles with laughter"

    similar: arouse, excite, fire (up), impassion, incite, instigate, move, pique, provoke, rev (up), spark, stimulate, stir, build a fire under
    related: fan, ignite, inflame, kindle, trigger, activate, animate, drive, energize, galvanize, induce, inspire, key (up), motivate, motive, pump up, quicken, set off, vitalize, abet, ferment, foment, raise, whip (up), anger, enrage, madden, upset, jeer, taunt, tease, aggravate, annoy, bother, exasperate, gall, get, irritate, vex
    near: calm, soothe, subdue, tranquilize, appease, mollify, pacify, placate

  4. to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action

    "the pastor continues to encourage the couple to work out their problems in hopes of saving their marriage"

    similar: egg (on), exhort, goad, nudge, press, prod, prompt, urge
    related: drive, propel, spur, stimulate, hurry, hustle, push, rush, adjure, beseech, implore, importune, blandish, cajole, coax, soft-soap, wheedle, high-pressure, nag, needle, pressure, foment, incite, instigate, provoke, stir (up)
    near: deter, discourage, dissuade, brake, check, constrain, curb, hold back, inhibit, restrain

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Encouraging

The most common words with a similar meaning to Encouraging:

auspicious, bright, fair, golden, heartening, hopeful, likely, optimistic, promising, propitious, rose-colored, roseate, rosy, upbeat, cheering, comforting, fulfilling, gladdening, gratifying, heartwarming, rewarding, satisfying, favorable, bearing up, bucking up, buoying (up), cheering (up), chirking (up), emboldening, inspiring, inspiriting, steeling, advancing, cultivating, forwarding, fostering, furthering, incubating, nourishing, nursing

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Encouraging

Words with the opposite meaning of Encouraging:

bleak, dark, depressing, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, dismal, downbeat, dreary, gloomy, hopeless, inauspicious, pessimistic, unencouraging, unlikely, unpromising, unpropitious, demoralizing, dispiriting, dim, futureless, unfavorable, daunting, frustrating, hindering, inhibiting

Related Words for Encouraging

reassuring, soothing, assured, confident, decisive, doubtless, positive, sure, unhesitating, beamish, bullish, eupeptic, good, affecting, poignant, touching, edifying, elevating, uplifting, sympathetic, tender, kind, kindly, loving, warm, animating, enlivening, exhilarating, invigorating, rousing

Near Antonyms of Encouraging

cheerless, comfortless, doubtful, dubious, uncertain, bearish, grim, negative, funereal, glum, gray, miserable, wretched, disappointing, disgruntling, displeasing, dissatisfying, heartbreaking, heartrending, saddening, discomforting, disconcerting, dismaying, distressing, disturbing, upsetting, cold, unfeeling, unfriendly, unkind

Word Forms of Encouraging

Derived words: encouragingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Encouraging

First known use: 1593

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Encouraging

Frequently Asked Questions about Encouraging

What does "Encouraging" mean?

"Encouraging" means giving hope or promise. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: giving hope or promise. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Encouraging"?

Other words for "Encouraging" include auspicious, bright, fair, golden, heartening, hopeful, likely and optimistic. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Encouraging" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Encouraging"?

There are 194 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Encouraging". Common alternatives include auspicious, bright, fair, golden, heartening, hopeful, likely, optimistic, promising and propitious.

What is the opposite of "Encouraging"?

Antonyms of "Encouraging" include bleak, dark, depressing, desperate, discouraging, disheartening, dismal and downbeat. Near antonyms include cheerless, comfortless, doubtful and dubious.

How do you use "Encouraging" in a sentence?

Examples of "Encouraging" in a sentence: "encouraging signs that the economy is improving"; "the encouraging story of a young girl who overcame great social and physical obstacles to become an outstanding athlete"; "we're off to an encouraging start on this project".

Is "Encouraging" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Encouraging" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Encouraging" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C1-level word, "Encouraging" is typical of Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), IELTS band 7.0–8.0, TOEFL iBT 95–113, PTE Academic 76–84, TOEIC Listening & Reading 945+. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Encouraging"?

"Encouraging" is pronounced /in-ˈkər-i-jiŋ/ and divided into syllables as en·cour·ag·ing.