What does exhorted mean?
Exhorted is the past tense of the verb exhort, meaning to urge someone earnestly and strongly to do something. Unlike simple advice, exhortation carries urgency and emotional force: the speaker appeals, presses, and encourages with conviction. The word appears most often in formal contexts — political addresses, military commands, religious sermons — where a leader rallies others toward action. One might say a coach exhorted her players before the final whistle, or that a reformer exhorted the public to demand change. Derived from Latin roots meaning to encourage thoroughly, it has long been associated with rhetoric and moral persuasion. Because it implies both authority on the speaker's part and a call to action for the listener, exhorted conveys earnestness rather than mere suggestion. It remains a vivid choice whenever writing calls for a stirring, purposeful appeal.
verbExhorted is the past tense and past participle of exhort: to strongly urge or encourage someone earnestly to do something.
- To urge or advise someone earnestly or strongly to do something.
"The general exhorted his weary troops to press on toward the capital."
"The coach exhorted her players to give one final effort in the last quarter."
"In his farewell address, the president exhorted citizens to defend the institutions of democracy."
When a Roman commander 'exhorted' his legions, he wasn't politely suggesting — he was delivering an urgent, soul-stirring appeal, a tradition this Latin-rooted word still carries today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of exhorted
Exhorted descends from the Latin verb exhortari, formed from ex- ('thoroughly' or 'out') and hortari ('to encourage, urge'), the same root that gives us hortatory and exhortation. The word entered English in the late medieval period via Old French, retaining its original sense of urgent encouragement. Its Latin cognates preserve the rhetorical flavor: an exhortation is a speech urging action, and hortatory writing aims to persuade by exhorting rather than merely informing.
Related word forms
How exhorted is actually used
Formal and somewhat elevated in register; common in speeches, sermons, political rhetoric, and historical narrative rather than casual conversation. Carries an earnest, impassioned connotation — stronger than merely advising or suggesting.
Easily confused with exhorted
'Exerted' means applied effort or influence, while 'exhorted' means strongly urged someone else to act — they look similar in spelling but differ entirely in meaning.