Discourage and Exhort

Opposite meaning words

Discourage verb - To steer (a person) from an activity or course of action.

Usage example: the higher fines may help discourage drivers from speeding on the highway

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Exhort is an antonym for discourage.

Exhort verb - To try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action.

Usage example: the speaker exhorted the graduating students to go forth and try to make a difference in the world

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Discourage is an antonym for exhort in urge topic.

Cite this Source

Exhort and Discourage. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 27, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/exhort

Discourage & Exhort. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/exhort>.

Exhort or Discourage. 2016. Accessed July 27, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/discourage/exhort.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "discourage" and "exhort" have occurred on timeline