Word family noun encouragement ≠ discouragement adjective encouraged ≠ discouraged encouraging ≠ discouraging verb encourage ≠ discourage adverb encouragingly ≠ discouragingly
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishencourageen‧cour‧age /ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ $ ɪnˈkɜːr-/ ●●● S2 W1 verb [transitive] 1 HELPPERSUADEto give someone the courage or confidence to do something OPP discourage I want to thank everyone who has encouraged and supported me.encourage somebody to do something Cooder was encouraged to begin playing the guitar by his father.encourage somebody in something Fleur encouraged Dana in her ambition to become a model.2 to persuade someone to do something OPP discourage Cantor didn’t mind if they worked late; in fact, he actively encouraged it.encourage somebody to do something A 10p rise in cigarette prices is not enough to encourage smokers to stop.► see thesaurus at persuade3 HELPto make something more likely to exist, happen, or develop Violent TV programmes encourage anti-social behaviour. —encouraged adjective [not before noun] She felt encouraged by the many letters of support.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
encourage• Avoid spraying your plants with pesticides, grow plants that encourage beneficial insects such as carrots, parsley, parsnips and nettles.• This insurance plan will be too hard to administer and will encourage fraud.• Is it responsible to be actively encouraging gay men to use a product that is untested?• She was always looking for ways to encourage her students.• Her parents encouraged her to cook and even paid her to make dinner twice a week.• Congress is considering tax breaks to encourage investment.• Her letters really encouraged me throughout my illness.• Patricia encouraged me to apply for the job.• I would never have won if my friends hadn't encouraged me to keep trying.• We want to encourage more children to use the library.• Cigarette machines in the streets will only encourage more teenagers to smoke.• The popularity of organised tours visiting the Balearics and the interest of the locals has encouraged the club to expand.• Damp conditions encourage the growth of the fungus.• But no evidence suggests that she courted danger for her children as she encouraged their freedom.• Likewise we recognize that pre-feminist homemakers were encouraged to stand by, and lie beneath, their men.• The San Francisco angler with the signature floppy fishing cap encourages tyros not to be intimidated.encourage somebody to do something• We want to encourage businesses to invest and create jobs.• Barber's parents encouraged her to stay in school.actively encouraged• Cold-calling, at one licensed dealer, when the salesmen got desperate, was just not tolerated, it was actively encouraged.• During the two world wars the growing of potatoes in every available plot of land was actively encouraged.• I come from a family where blood feuds are not only tolerated, but actively encouraged.• Amy, his wife, naturally relinquished her job as secretary to John and actively encouraged him.• Part-time working would also have to be pro-actively encouraged, she said.• On the Continent, governments have actively encouraged the use of diesel-powered vehicles as a way of stretching resources.• In the United States parents are actively encouraged to play a full and responsible part in their school and their school district.• Sister Guadalupe, nun, June 1983 Right from the beginning, we have actively encouraged women's incorporation. 