embolden
3 synonyms and 1 antonym for embolden, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Verb — To make someone feel braver or more confident.
Synonyms
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Antonyms
Etymology
Formed from bold (adjective) with em- -en, a variant of the en- -en circumfix that forms transitive verbs denoting an increase in, or intensification of, the quality named. Compare Middle English embolden, enbolden ("to make bold, encourage") — with the modern English forms embold, enbold, imbold now obsolete — and inb...
Full origin of embolden →