What does enhearten mean?
"Enhearten" is a verb meaning to fill someone with courage, confidence, or hope — literally, to put heart into them. It is formed from the familiar English noun "heart" with the prefix "en-", which converts nouns into verbs expressing the imparting of what they name. In practice it is used much like its close synonyms "hearten" and "encourage": good news, kind words, or an inspiring example can all be said to enhearten someone facing difficulty. The word carries a warm, uplifting connotation and tends to appear in slightly formal, narrative, or literary contexts rather than casual conversation, where speakers more often choose "encourage" or "cheer up". Its natural opposites are "dishearten" and "daunt". Though rare enough that many readers meet it for the first time in books, it is transparent in meaning thanks to its obvious roots, making it an elegant choice when a writer wants a vivid alternative to overused words of encouragement.
verbTo give courage, confidence, or hope to someone; to cheer or hearten.
- To give courage, confidence, or hope to; to make someone feel more cheerful and determined.
"The captain's calm words enheartened the crew as the storm gathered."
"The news that reinforcements were on their way greatly enheartened the defenders."
"She was enheartened by the warm reception her early chapters received."
While 'dishearten' is everywhere in English, its mirror image 'enhearten' — to put heart back into someone — survives as one of the language's loveliest underused verbs.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of enhearten
"Enhearten" was formed in English from the noun "heart" plus the prefix "en-", following the same pattern as "hearten" and "dishearten"; it dates from around the early 17th century. All of these words derive from Old English "heorte", which comes from the common Germanic root behind German "Herz" and Dutch "hart". The metaphor of the heart as the seat of courage gives the verb its sense of instilling bravery or hope.
Related word forms
How enhearten is actually used
A somewhat literary or elevated word; in everyday speech most people reach for 'encourage', 'cheer', or 'hearten' instead. It is almost always used with a person or group as its object.
Easily confused with enhearten
"Hearten" means the same thing but is far more common; "enhearten" is a rarer synonym formed with the same prefix pattern.