What does emboldening mean?
Emboldening is the present participle and gerund of the verb 'embolden', meaning to fill someone with courage, confidence, or resolve to attempt something they might otherwise avoid. A mentor's praise can be emboldening; so can a victory, a supportive crowd, or even favorable circumstances that make risky action seem safer. The word carries a strongly positive connotation when applied to legitimate courage — emboldening reformers, activists, or the timid — but it can shade negative in contexts like 'the emboldening of bad actors', where newfound confidence leads to worse behavior. Derived from 'bold', one of English's oldest native words for fearless confidence, it inherits that word's directness while framing courage as something conferred rather than innate. It appears most naturally in journalism, psychology, and commentary on social behavior, typically describing how encouragement or impunity strengthens someone's willingness to act.
Present participle of 'embolden': giving someone the courage or confidence to do something.
"The general's early victories were emboldening his troops for the harder battles ahead."
Commonly used transitively, often followed by an infinitive ('emboldening them to speak out') or in the phrase 'emboldening effect'.
Gerund use: the action or process of giving courage or confidence.
"The emboldening of ordinary citizens was the movement's greatest achievement."
Typically takes a definite article or possessive and is most common in formal or journalistic writing.
Every time you encourage someone, you literally make them 'bolder' — 'embolden' simply wraps the old word 'bold' in a verb-making prefix.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of emboldening
Emboldening derives from the verb 'embolden', formed in Middle English by attaching the prefix 'em-' (from French 'en-', ultimately Latin 'in-') to the Old English adjective 'bold', meaning brave or confident. 'Bold' itself traces back through Proto-Germanic roots shared with German 'kühn'-related forms of daring. The formation follows a productive English pattern in which 'em-/en-' turns adjectives into verbs meaning 'to make' — as with 'enlarge' and 'endear'. Cognate formations using the same root include 'boldness' and 'boldly'.
Related word forms
How emboldening is actually used
Most often used in progressive constructions ('was emboldening', 'an emboldening effect'). The typographic sense relating to bold text is rare and usually appears in design or publishing contexts.
Easily confused with emboldening
'Embodying' means to give concrete form to an idea or quality, while 'emboldening' means to give someone courage or confidence.