embolden C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes US /ɪmˈboʊldən/ UK /ɪmˈbəʊldən/ See IPA manual Meanings 1 verb to give someone the courage or confidence to act The early victory served to embolden the rebel troops. Thesaurus Synonyms 1 verb · to give someone the courage... encouragehearteninspiritfortifynervegalvanize ↔ Opposites discouragedisheartenintimidatedaunt Word family Derived forms emboldenedemboldener Related forms boldboldness Etymology AI details From en- ('to make') + bold (from Old English beald 'bold, brave') + -en, formed in English on the model of strengthen, harden, and similar verbs. beald Old English *balþaz Proto-Germanic View etymology graph -> Topics Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives External links Cambridge Dictionary Wiktionary Google Images # embolden **Type:** Word **Level:** C2+ **Part of speech:** verb **IPA (US):** /ɪmˈboʊldən/ **IPA (UK):** /ɪmˈbəʊldən/ ## Meanings 1. to give someone the courage or confidence to act ## Examples - The early victory served to embolden the rebel troops. ## Synonyms - encourage - hearten - inspirit - fortify - nerve - galvanize ## Antonyms - discourage - dishearten - intimidate - daunt ## Derived Forms - emboldened - emboldener ## Related Forms - bold - boldness ## Roots and Affixes - Root: beald - Root: *balþaz ## Etymology From en- ('to make') + bold (from Old English beald 'bold, brave') + -en, formed in English on the model of strengthen, harden, and similar verbs. ## AI Etymology Embolden comes from en- ('to make') + bold (from Old English beald 'bold, brave') + -en, formed in English on the model of strengthen, harden, and similar verbs. The etymological trail includes Old English beald and Proto-Germanic *balþaz. As a verb, embolden means to give someone the courage or confidence to act. The same family is visible in derived forms such as emboldened and emboldener and related forms such as bold and boldness. The analysis is partly morphological, with the modern form built from the elements named in the history. ## Topics - Actions & Processes - Word Formation & Derivatives markdown