Encourage and Hold back

Opposite meaning terms

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

Usage example: the pastor continues to encourage the couple to work out their problems in hopes of saving their marriage

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Hold back is an antonym for encourage.

Nearby Words: encouragement, encouraging

Hold back verb - To create difficulty for the work or activity of.

Usage example: the only thing holding Joe back from joining the swim team is lack of transportation

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Encourage is an antonym for hold back.

Cite this Source

Hold back and Encourage. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/encourage/hold_back

Encourage & Hold back. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/encourage/hold_back>.

Hold back or Encourage. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/encourage/hold_back.

Google Ngram Viewer shows how "encourage" and "hold back" have occurred on timeline