Word.ws English Dictionary

Synonyms of encourage

67 similar words · 2 opposite words

Another word for encourage is push. Other synonyms of encourage are urge, prompt, stimulate, recommend and motivate. The opposite of encourage is dishearten.

Synonyms and similar words for encourage

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

  • bield
  • emboldenTo render (someone) bolder or more courageous; to encourage, to hearten.
  • heartenTo give heart to; to encourage, urge on, cheer, give confidence to.
  • actuateTo incite to action; to motivate.
  • goose
  • fuel
  • light a fire underTo motivate or encourage (someone) to start sooner or move faster.
  • send
  • sting
  • bring aboutTo cause to take place.
  • drawTo attract or provoke (a particular reaction or response) from someone.
  • driveTo motivate; to provide an incentive for.
  • egg onTo encourage or coax (a person) to do something, especially something foolhardy or reckless.
  • engenderTo bring into existence (a situation, quality, result etc.); to give rise to, cause, create.
  • evokeTo elicit a response.
  • exciteTo arouse or bring out (e.g. feelings); to stimulate.
  • fomentTo incite or cause troublesome acts; to encourage; to instigate.
  • goadTo incite or provoke.
  • ignite figurativelyTo spark off (something), to trigger.
  • impelTo urge a person; to press on; to incite to action or motion via intrinsic motivation.
  • incite
  • induceTo cause, bring about, lead to.
  • inflame figurativelyTo excite or intensify (a feeling, such as an appetite or passion), especially to an excessive or unnatural level.
  • instigateTo goad or urge (a person) forward, especially to wicked actions.
  • invokeTo bring about as an inevitable consequence.
  • lash
  • motiveTo prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
  • motivateTo provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate.
  • obligate
  • oblige
  • pushTo continually attempt to persuade (a person) into a particular course of action.
  • promoteTo encourage, urge or incite.
  • promptTo lead (someone) toward what they should say or do.
  • provokeTo bring about a reaction.
  • rouseTo provoke (someone) to react (for example, in anger or annoyance); to spur; also, to annoy, to tease.
  • set offTo begin; to cause; to initiate.
  • spark offTo initiate something by providing the necessary conditions.
  • spurTo urge or encourage to action, or to a more vigorous pursuit of an object.
  • spur onTo spur or urge (someone) to do something.
  • stimulateTo encourage into action.
  • stirTo incite to action.
  • stir upTo arouse or excite (passion or action, etc.).
  • stoke figurativelyTo encourage a behavior or emotion.
  • temptTo provoke something; to court.
  • urgeTo press; to push; to drive; to impel; to force onward.
  • whip upTo arouse or excite.
  • abet obsoleteTo urge on, stimulate (a person to do) something desirable.
  • cheer obsoleteTo encourage to do something.
  • grill Scotland, USTo make angry; provoke; offend, incite.
  • move obsoleteTo incite, urge (someone to do something); to solicit (someone for or of an issue); to make a proposal to.
  • whet obsoleteTo inculcate or teach (habits, information, etc.).

verbTo spur on, strongly recommend.

  • exhortTo urge; to advise earnestly.
  • admonishTo advise against wrongdoing; to caution; to warn against danger or an offense.
  • adjure
  • advise
  • advocateTo encourage support for something.
  • counsel
  • recommendTo bestow commendation on; to represent favorably; to suggest, endorse or encourage as an appropriate choice.
  • suggest
  • tip
  • warn

verbTo foster, give help or patronage.

Opposite of encourage

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

Meaning of encourage

  1. verb To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
  2. verb To spur on, strongly recommend.
  3. verb To foster, give help or patronage.

Full definition of encourage

encourage in other languages

Questions about synonyms of encourage

What is another word for encourage?
Encourage has 67 synonyms on Word.ws, such as push, urge, prompt, stimulate, recommend, motivate, promote and spur.
What is the opposite of encourage?
The opposite of encourage is dishearten.
What does encourage mean?
Encourage means to mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: encourage (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Cite this page: “Synonyms of encourage.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/encourage. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.