verb · neutral
embolden
UK/ɪmˈbəʊldən/US/ɪmˈboʊldən/em·BOLD·en
to make someone feel braver or more confident so they are willing to take risks
Examples
“Seeing other employees speak up without being punished emboldened her to report the problem.”
“The success of the pilot project emboldened local groups to expand their activities.”
“News coverage of peaceful protests emboldened citizens to demand reforms.”
Band 8 sentence
“Greater transparency in the administration emboldened citizens to report abuse, shifting the balance of power in local governance.”
Collocations
- embolden someone to do something
- be emboldened by
Word family
Common mistakes
The policy emboldened.→The policy emboldened protesters.
He was emboldened speaking out.→He was emboldened to speak out.
Say it for a higher band
5help→6encourage→7+embolden
Synonyms
encourage
Easily confused
encourage
“The coach's praise encouraged the young player to try a more difficult tactic.”
Related words
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In -en
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