English Reference
noun

encouragement

n.
US /ɛnˈkɝɪdʒmənt/ UK /ɛnkˈʌɹɪdʒmənt/ en·cour·age·ment UK spelling encouragements

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate

    something that makes a process or activity more likely to happen or succeed.

    something that serves as an incentive, stimulus, or booster for an activity or development.

    Simple

    The government offered tax breaks as encouragement for small businesses to grow.

    In context

    The new policy served as a significant encouragement for private investment in renewable energy infrastructure across the region.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced Formal

    the positive feeling you get when you believe you can succeed.

    the internal state of feeling motivated or optimistic due to external support or positive progress.

    Simple

    He found great encouragement in the fact that his health was improving every day.

    In context

    The team drew encouragement from the preliminary results, which suggested their hypothesis was correct despite earlier setbacks.

Kim Beom-ho, the acting president of IIAC, said the ranking reflected “the support of the government, the public’s encouragement and the hard work of everyone stationed at the airport”.

The Guardian· 13 Aug 2026

Well, we already know: the more extreme forms of harm include algorithmic encouragement to suicide and diet dangerously, and for others to commit violent acts of extremism as a way of “belonging” .

The Guardian· 3 Aug 2026

Borrowed from Middle French encoragement.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin frm encoragement
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated