# encouragement

/ɛnˈkɝɪdʒmənt/ (US) · /ɛnkˈʌɹɪdʒmənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/encouragement
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 2. an incentive

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

- The government offered tax breaks as encouragement for small businesses to grow.
- The new policy served as a significant encouragement for private investment in renewable energy infrastructure across the region.

### 3. the feeling of being encouraged

noun · CEFR C1 · Formal

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

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

- He found great encouragement in the fact that his health was improving every day.
- The team drew encouragement from the preliminary results, which suggested their hypothesis was correct despite earlier setbacks.

## Examples

- My teacher gave me a lot of encouragement before the exam.
- With a little encouragement from her friends, she finally decided to apply for the promotion.
- The mentor provided constant encouragement throughout the internship, helping the student navigate the complexities of the corporate environment with growing self-assurance.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.