Hearten

Podcast 1 · Introduction

Hearten

A documentary-style narration: origin, meaning, and feel.

Part of speech

verb

Pronunciation

HAR-tun  /ˈhɑːt(ə)n/

Definition

To give courage or confidence to; to make more cheerful; to encourage or lift the spirits of someone who is struggling or disheartened.

Plain meaning

To hearten someone is to encourage them and lift their spirits — to give them heart when they have lost it. A heartening result is one that gives grounds for hope. The opposite, dishearten, means to cause someone to lose hope or courage.

Register

Neutral to slightly formal or literary. Hearten is slightly more elevated than encourage or uplift. Heartening is frequently used in journalism and commentary: a heartening result, heartening news, heartening signs of progress. The word carries a warmth that encourage does not always have.