encouraging

1. 1
   adjective

   Giving someone courage, confidence, or hope; suggesting that a good outcome is likely.

   The first month of sales looked encouraging to the new management team.

   She found his steady, encouraging tone reassuring before the surgery.

   Similarpromising

   Oppositediscouraging, disheartening, unpromising, worrying

   Note

   Here the hope comes from circumstances rather than from a person: research results, signs of recovery, a first month of sales. Its nearest synonym is promising, and like promising it looks forward. Encouraging signs suggest a good outcome without guaranteeing one. When the word describes someone actively cheering others on, it has shifted to the supportive-person meaning. Encouraging results and an encouraging coach draw on different senses.

2. 2
   adjective

   Acting in a supportive way by offering encouragement to others.

   The mentor stayed warm and encouraging throughout the training program.

   Parents who are encouraging tend to raise more confident children.

   Similarsupportive, positive, reassuring, nurturing

   Oppositediscouraging, unsupportive, critical, dismissive

3. 3
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of encourage.

   The teacher kept encouraging her students to ask harder questions.

   Encouraging innovation among employees has become a central goal for the company.

   Note

   The verb form behind the adjectives is fully transitive. It needs an object and often takes a to-infinitive after it, as in encouraging students to ask questions. The same spelling also serves as a gerund, as in Encouraging innovation has become a goal. To tell the verb from the hopeful adjective, look for an object. The adjective takes more or very, while the verb takes someone or something to encourage.

4. 4
   noununcountable

   The giving of support, confidence, or hope to someone; encouragement.

   Their patient encouraging of the youngsters made all the difference.

   He owed his recovery to the constant encouraging of close friends.

   Similarsupport

   Oppositediscouragement

   Note

   The verbal noun can be counted as single acts of encouraging, so it takes a plural. The Living Age in 1853 lists "comfortings and encouragings" among the small ties of sympathy. The plural turns a quality into a run of separate kindnesses. Use it when the individual acts matter. For the general quality, encouragement does the same work.

Showing meanings only. Show all 4