exhorting

Exhorting is the act of urging, encouraging, or advising someone to take a particular action. The term carries a sense of earnest or urgent appeal, often with moral, practical, or motivational emphasis. In English, exhort is transitive: one exhorts someone to do something. The noun form exhortation refers to the act or instance of exhorting, or to a speech or piece of writing that urges action.

Etymology: Exhort derives from Latin exhortare, from hortari meaning "to urge" or "to advise." The word entered English in the early modern period and has retained its connotations of urging with earnestness.

Usage and nuance: Exhorting implies more insistence than simple advising and is commonly used in religious, moral, or leadership contexts. It contrasts with commands or orders, which are more authoritative, and with mere encouragement, which may be lighter in tone. A speaker might exhort a group to charity, a citizen to vote, or a student to study hard.

Examples: "The pastor exhorted the congregation to live righteously." "The coach exhorted the players to leave everything on the field." "The campaign released a message exhorting voters to participate in the election." The act can be direct or rhetorical, and the audience's receptiveness can affect its impact.

See also: exhortation; exhorter; urge; persuade; motivate.