What does "encouraging" mean?

1. (giving hope) giving you hope or confidence that something good will happen. 2. (supportive) showing support and telling someone they are doing a good job. 3. (the act of supporting) the '-ing' form of the verb 'encourage', used to describe the act of giving support.

encouraging

adj. · v.

US //ɛnˈkɝɪdʒɪŋ// UK //ɛnkˈʌɹɪdʒɪŋ// en·cour·ag·ing

1 giving hope (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

giving you hope or confidence that something good will happen.

providing hope, confidence, or a sense of auspiciousness regarding future outcomes.

Example

The doctor gave us some encouraging news about my grandfather's health.

Example

The initial quarterly results were highly encouraging, suggesting that the new marketing strategy was finally gaining traction in the European market.
- promising
- heartening
- hopeful
- discouraging
- disheartening
2 supportive (adj.)
B1 Intermediate

showing support and telling someone they are doing a good job.

acting to support or motivate others through positive reinforcement.

Example

My teacher was very encouraging when I was struggling with my essay.

Example

A more encouraging management style often leads to higher employee retention than a purely results-driven approach.
- supportive
- reassuring
- critical
- unsupportive

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3 the act of supporting (v.)
B1 Intermediate

the '-ing' form of the verb 'encourage', used to describe the act of giving support.

the present participle or gerund of 'encourage', used to describe the ongoing action of providing motivation or support.

Example

By encouraging her students to speak, the teacher helped them gain confidence.

Example

Encouraging local investment has become a primary objective for the regional council this fiscal year.
- motivating
- supporting
- deterring