Encouraging \En*cour"a*ging\, a. Furnishing ground to hope; inspiriting; favoring. -- En*cour"a*ging*ly, adv. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

Encourage \En*cour"age\ (?; 48), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Encouraged (?; 48); p. pr. & vb. n. Encouraging.]

[F. encourager; pref. en- (L. in) + courage courage. See Courage.]

To give courage to; to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope; to raise, or to increase, the confidence of; to animate; enhearten; to incite; to help forward; -- the opposite of discourage. [1913 Webster]

David encouraged himself in the Lord. --1 Sam. xxx. 6.

Syn: To embolden; inspirit; animate; enhearten; hearten; incite; cheer; urge; impel; stimulate; instigate; countenance; comfort; promote; advance; forward; strengthen. [1913 Webster]

Source: The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
 

57 Moby Thesaurus words for "encouraging": alluring, animating, assuring, auspicious, bright with promise, challenging, cheerful, cheering, cheery, comforting, condolatory, condolent, condoling, consolatory, consoling, couleur de rose, energizing, enlivening, exciting, exhilarating, favorable, full of promise, galvanic, galvanizing, glad, gladdening, heart-warming, heartening, hospitable, inspiring, inspiriting, invigorating, inviting, joyful, likely, looking up, of good comfort, of promise, piquant, pregnant of good, promising, prompting, propitious, provocative, provoking, reassuring, relieving, rose-colored, roseate, rosy, rousing, stimulant, stimulating, stimulative, stirring, supportive, sympathetic

Source: Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
 

encouraging adj
1: giving courage or confidence or hope; "encouraging advances in medical research" [ant: discouraging]
2: furnishing support and encouragement; "the anxious child needs supporting and accepting treatment from the teacher" [syn: supporting]
3: tending to favor or bring good luck; "miracles are auspicious accidents"; "encouraging omens"; "a favorable time to ask for a raise"; "lucky stars"; "a prosperous moment to make a decision" [syn: auspicious, favorable, favourable, lucky, prosperous]

Source: WordNet (r) 2.0
 

Encouraging \En*cour"a*ging\, a. Furnishing ground to hope; inspiriting; favoring. -- En*cour"a*ging*ly, adv.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
 

Encourage \En*cour"age\ (?; 48), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Encouraged (?; 48); p. pr. & vb. n. Encouraging.]

[F. encourager; pref. en- (L. in) + courage courage. See Courage.]

To give courage to; to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope; to raise, or to increase, the confidence of; to animate; enhearten; to incite; to help forward; -- the opposite of discourage.

David encouraged himself in the Lord. --1 Sam. xxx. 6.

Syn: To embolden; inspirit; animate; enhearten; hearten; incite; cheer; urge; impel; stimulate; instigate; countenance; comfort; promote; advance; forward; strengthen.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)