HEARTEN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does hearten mean? 

• HEARTEN (verb)
  The verb HEARTEN has 1 sense:

1. give encouragement to

  Familiarity information: HEARTEN used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HEARTEN (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they hearten    ... he / she / it heartens   
Past simple: heartened   
Past participle: heartened   
-ing form: heartening   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Give encouragement to

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

cheer; embolden; hearten; recreate

Hypernyms (to "hearten" is one way to...):

encourage (inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "hearten"):

buck up; take heart (gain courage)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Sentence example:

The performance is likely to hearten Sue

Antonym:

dishearten (take away the enthusiasm of)

 Context examples 

Let us on, for a stoup of wine would hearten us upon our way.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

It was not a heartening spectacle.

(Love of Life and Other Stories, by Jack London)

I'll hearten you up in a jiffy.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

Their other aunt also visited them frequently, and always, as she said, with the design of cheering and heartening them up—though, as she never came without reporting some fresh instance of Wickham's extravagance or irregularity, she seldom went away without leaving them more dispirited than she found them.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

It will hearten you to know, he continued, that I have sure advices that this Henry is a very valiant leader, and that he has it in his power to make such a stand against us as promises to give us much honor and pleasure.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)