Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

embolden

/ɛmˈboʊld(ə)n/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.30 in modern English

Syllables: em-bold-en
IPA: /ɛmˈboʊld(ə)n/

13

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

3

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To render (someone) bolder or more courageous; to encourage, to hearten.

Transitive verb

verb

To format (text) in boldface.

Transitive verb

Example Sentences

"Steel your thoughts, ſharp your reſolue, imboldẽ your spirit, graſp your ſvvords; alarum miſchief, & vvith an vndãted brovv, out ſcout the grim oppoſition of most menacing perill."
"I haue heard many ſuch things: miſerable comforters are ye all. Shall vaine words haue an ende? or what emboldeneth thee, that thou anſwereſt?"
"I haue ſeene a pardon giuen to a man vpon the gallovves, but vvho ſo emboldeneth himſelfe thereuypon, perhaps the rope may be his hire: it is not good to put it vpon the Pſalme of Miſerere, and the neck-verſe, for ſometime he prooues no clarke."
"Their lookes imboldned, modeſtie novv gone, / Conuert at length to little-differing Stone."
"Give me a reaſon; vvhat is it that ſtirrs thee to reply upon me, VVhat emboldeneth thee to anſvver? The Hebrevv vvord ſignifies, firſt, to ſtrengthen, to fortifie, or confirme; he that is ſtrengthened, is emboldened."
"Thus I embold'nd ſpake, and freedom us'd / Permiſſive, and acceptance found, which gain'd / This anſwer from the gratious voice Divine."

Etymology

From bold (adjective) + em- -en (variant of en- -en (circumfix forming transitive verbs denoting an increase in, or intensification of, the quality denoted by the enclosed word)). Compare Middle English embolden, enbolden (“to make bold, encourage”) (modern English embold, enbold, imbold (obsolete)), and inboldysshen (“to embolden, encourage”).

Word Breakdown

Prefix: bold
Root: *bʰel-
Suffix: em- -en

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ɛmˈboʊld(ə)n/
British English: /ɛmˈbəʊld(ə)n/

Usage

Transitive verb

Inflected Forms

emboldens (present, singular) emboldening (participle, present) emboldened (participle, past) emboldened (past) no-table-tags (table tags) glossary (inflection template) emboldened (first person, past) emboldenest (archaic, present) emboldened (past, second person) emboldenedst (archaic, past) emboldeneth (archaic, present) emboldened (past, singular)

Derived Forms

emboldener emboldening emboldenment reembolden

Phrases

re-embolden

Frequently Paired Words

bolden embold italicize strike through underline

Synonyms

bolden bold boldface cheer hearten recreate

Rhymes With

golden holden olden beholden bolden roldan colden boldon molden soldan moulden folden

Questions

How do you pronounce embolden?: The recorded pronunciation is /ɛmˈboʊld(ə)n/.
What does embolden mean?: To render (someone) bolder or more courageous; to encourage, to hearten.
Where does embolden come from?: From bold (adjective) + em- -en (variant of en- -en (circumfix forming transitive verbs denoting an increase in, or intensification of, the quality denoted by the enclosed word)). Compare Middle English embolden, enbolden (“to make bold, encourage”) (modern English embold, enbold, imbold (obsolete)), and inboldysshen (“to embolden, encourage”).

How to pronounce embolden

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Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɛmˈboʊld(ə)n/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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