encouragementnoun [ C or U ]
uk/ɪnˈkʌr.ɪdʒ.mənt/us/ɪnˈkɝː.ɪdʒ.mənt/B2 words or behaviour that give someone confidence to do something:
Children need lots of encouragement from their parents.
I could never have achieved this without the encouragement of my husband and family.
words or behaviour that make something more likely to happen:
We give positive encouragement to applications from older candidates.
More examples
- We are extremely grateful for all your help and encouragement.
- He's very nervous about cooking for us, so give him lots of encouragement.
- As an encouragement to potential customers, they are offering three months' interest-free credit.
- Some companies use bonuses as an encouragement to their staff to work harder.
- He never needs any encouragement to go to bed - he's always tired well before bedtime.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Encouraging and urging on
- abet
- barrack for sb
- bring
- bring sb out
- buddy
- cheer
- chin
- egg
- get out of here! idiom
- good/great/lovely stuff! idiom
- goose
- hide your light under a bushel idiom
- impetus
- invitation
- prepare the ground idiom
- prod
- promote
- promotion
- psych
- shoulder
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