ENCOURAGES Synonyms: 201 Similar and Opposite Words

encourages

verb

present tense third-person singular of encourage

as in inspires

to fill with courage or strength of purpose a pep talk that encouraged the team to get out there and win

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in promotes

to help the growth or development of asserted that the government should be encouraging small businesses, not smothering them with regulations

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in provokes

to rouse to strong feeling or action the movie's cheap special effects will not encourage audiences to sit on the edge of their seats but to roll in the aisles with laughter

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in urges

to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action the pastor continues to encourage the couple to work out their problems in hopes of saving their marriage

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of encourages The bark can also be stripped from the branch, called girdling, which encourages faster root growth. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2026 Mid-month, however, encourages you to indulge your creativity, rather than forcing big decisions. — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026 If a maxxing trend encourages awareness of healthy behavior, that can be genuinely useful. — Jennifer Donnelly, Scientific American, 30 Aug. 2026 Standard ornamental fertilizer encourages leggy growth with minimal flowering. — Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 30 Aug. 2026 Instead, the focus is on creating a fun, lively atmosphere that encourages camaraderie. — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 29 Aug. 2026 Marcus encourages clients to buy clothes outside their comfort zone and to practice wearing them at home. — Henry Alford, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 This math subtraction worksheet encourages kids to cross out shapes to solve single-digit problems. — Nicole Harris, Parents, 26 Aug. 2026 Stoddard encourages clients to try new coping tools during low-stakes moments, when their emotions are relatively mellow. — Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for encourages

Verb

Gallup found that just 2% of Fortune 500 CHROs strongly agree their performance management system actually inspires employees to improve.

— Rhett Power, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
But life on an island also inspires a scrappy, home-town camaraderie.

— Laura Preston, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of inspires

Verb

Key Takeaways Eating three dates in the morning can support blood sugar and digestion throughout the day by providing fiber that slows the absorption of sugar and promotes regular bowel movements.

— Abby Norman, Verywell Health, 2 Sep. 2026
Living according to these rules holds up a divine standard for others to see and follow, which promotes harmony and order between people.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of promotes

Verb

The rooms were part of Kusama’s ongoing exploration of self-obliteration and her career-long ambition to create work that provokes a keen awareness of both one’s individual insignificance and place in the wider cosmic system.

— Leah Dolan, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026
Now, new research reveals this kind of high-intensity training provokes a remarkably robust response throughout the bloodstream.

— Will Stone, NPR, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of provokes

Verb

To avert future calamities, the forest outside Bordeaux must be thinned and its fire breaks widened, said Arthur Guérin-Turcq, a Sorbonne University geographer whose family cultivates pines near Le Porge.

— Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2026
In 1840, shade-loving Croomia, which cultivates flowers on the underside of its leaves, was included as a native species.

— Candace Barone, Florida Times-Union, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of cultivates

Verb

Stronger trade winds help to move warm surface water away from the South American coast, which stimulates upwelling—that is, the movement of cold, dense, and nutrient-rich deep ocean water toward the surface.

— John P. Rafferty, Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2026
That extra load stimulates bones to grow denser and challenges muscles to adapt.

— Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of stimulates

Verb

Where the Cayenne’s steering is calibrated so that the road nudges the driver, Bentley’s elbows back at those perturbances.

— Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
Medicare surcharges are triggered by hard income thresholds assessed on a two-year lookback, and a conversion that nudges an individual a single dollar over a bracket can raise premiums for a full year.

— Dana Dunkelberger, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of nudges

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encouragers

encourages

encouraging

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“Encourages.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/encourages. Accessed 6 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of encourages

verb

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