emboldened
4 synonyms and 4 antonyms for emboldened, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Adjective — Made braver or more confident, usually by some success, encouragement or a sign that there will be no consequences.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
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.
heartened
brazen
Antonyms
How to use emboldened
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
emboldened by
feel emboldened
increasingly emboldened
Neutral to formal; very common in news and political writing.
Etymology
From embolden, formed from the prefix em- "to make" and bold.
Full origin of emboldened →Frequently asked questions
Is emboldened positive or negative?
It can be either, and the context decides. Emboldening a shy student is a good thing; describing extremists as emboldened is a warning that they now feel free to act.
What is the difference between emboldened and empowered?
Emboldened describes a change in nerve, a feeling of daring; empowered describes a change in actual authority or ability. Someone can be emboldened without gaining any real power.
Does emboldened mean made bold in text?
Not in normal use. For text formatting people say bolded or set in bold; emboldened refers to courage, though the typographic sense does turn up occasionally in software documentation.
