embolden
verb
em·bold·en
im-ˈbōl-dən 
emboldened; emboldening; emboldens
: to impart boldness or courage to : to instill with boldness, courage, or resolution enough to overcome timidity or misgiving
Great leaders embolden the rest of us to rise to our highest potentialities, to be active, insistent and resolute in affirming our own sense of things.—
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.… being near her twin did seem to embolden her, to loosen her tongue.—John Updike
John Updike… other voices too timid to speak in class are often emboldened by the different and more protected role an online conversation provides.—Richard A. Lanham
Richard A. LanhamSynonyms
Examples of embolden in a Sentence
his poor showing in his first swim meet just emboldened him to train even harder
Recent Examples on the Web
The Biden Administration’s waffling on supporting Israel, one of our biggest allies, only further emboldens the largest state sponsor of terror, Iran.
—Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 9 July 2024
Two former Justice Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ruling would embolden Trump.
—David Rohde, NBC News, 4 July 2024
There, much to her own surprise, people began to praise her work, emboldening to take up more experimental projects, such as a painting done on the tiles of a bathtub.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 2 July 2024
Still, McWhirter said Thomas’s words could embolden Cannon to overturn past rulings or encourage defense lawyers to push this issue through the lengthy appeals court process.
—Perry Stein, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for embolden 
Laura Gersony, The Arizona Republic, 9 July 2024
Two former Justice Department officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the ruling would embolden Trump.
—David Rohde, NBC News, 4 July 2024
There, much to her own surprise, people began to praise her work, emboldening to take up more experimental projects, such as a painting done on the tiles of a bathtub.
—Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 2 July 2024
Still, McWhirter said Thomas’s words could embolden Cannon to overturn past rulings or encourage defense lawyers to push this issue through the lengthy appeals court process.
—Perry Stein, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for embolden
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'embolden.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near embolden
Cite this Entry
“Embolden.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/embolden. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
embolden
verb
em·bold·en
im-ˈbōl-dən
: to make bold
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