Hearten

Hearten is a transitive verb meaning to give courage, confidence, or hope to someone; to encourage or uplift. It can describe actions, speech, or events that restore spirits. The related adjective heartening describes something that is encouraging or uplifting.

Etymology: from heart plus the suffix -en; the verb has appeared in English since medieval times, reflecting the sense of making someone’s heart stronger.

Usage: typically requires a direct object (a person or group). The past tense is heartened, as in “The captain's speech heartened the crew.” The present participle heartening is used as an adjective or participle, as in “heartening news,” and “The data are heartening to researchers.” In modern usage, hearten is somewhat formal or literary and more common in writing than casual speech.