emboldened

[ em-bohl-dnd ]

adjective

1. made bold or bolder; given the courage or nerve to do something daring, challenging, or controversial:

   It was unclear whether the missile fire was the work of an emboldened rebel force, the military, or some mixture of both.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of embolden ( def ).

Word History and Origins

Origin of emboldened¹

embolden ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

Other writers have assigned Holmes plenty of non-canonical family and offspring, emboldened by knowing the extent to which he is a mystery.

From Salon

The vegetal purity of this dish—emboldened by halloumi as the centerpiece—is more than enough.

From Salon

Popular discontent emboldened both the Nazis and the Communists, and increasingly, industrial and banking leaders came to see Hitler as the weapon they could wield to crush the radical left.

From Salon

The Trump administration will undoubtedly be emboldened to engage in unlawful, vindictive defunding of other universities, and now it will be politically harder for the next university to fight back.

From Los Angeles Times

He's emboldened by the current international climate of having an ally in the White House and of Turkey's importance to everything from Ukraine to Syria.

From BBC

Related Words

• buoyant
• cheerful
• comfortable
• confident
• eager
• enthusiastic
• rosy
• sanguine
• trusting
• upbeat