Encourage, Urge, Spur, Galvanize, Exhort
These words all relate to pushing someone to take action, but they differ significantly in their tone, intensity, and method.
Encourage
Encourage means to give somebody support, courage or hope. If you encourage someone, you give them confidence.
- Our PM encourages young scientists.
- The government must actively encourage investment in these areas.
Urge
Urge means to advise or try hard to persuade somebody to do something. If you urge someone to do something, you try hard to persuade them to do it.
- He has urged the government to do something about corruption.
- She urged her husband to stay inside.
Spur
Spur means to encourage somebody to do something or to encourage them to try harder to achieve something. If one thing spurs you to do another, it encourages you to do it.
- My trainer spurred me to keep up a pace of four miles an hour.
- The agreement is essential to spurring economic growth.
Galvanize
Galvanize means to make somebody take action by shocking them or by making them excited. If you galvanize someone you make them feel very excited, afraid, or angry so that they take action.
- The urgency of his voice galvanized them into action.
- The news galvanized them into action.
Exhort
Exhort means to try hard to persuade somebody to do something. If you exhort someone to do something, you try hard to persuade or encourage them to do it.
- Players had been exhorted to play.
- Kennedy exhorted his listeners to turn away from violence.
Difference between Encourage, Urge, Spur, Galvanize, Exhort:
Encourage is the gentlest of the group. It is about providing the emotional or psychological support someone needs to act.
It's intensity is low to medium, and it's connotation is positive, supportive, and comforting.
Urge is used to strongly advise or try to persuade someone to take a specific course of action, often because of an immediate need, benefit or danger. It carries more pressure than encourage.
Its intensity is medium to high. Its intensity is stronger than encourage. It is mostly used in the context of advice, warnings, and recommendations.
Spur is used to encourage somebody in a way that triggers immediate action. It often implies a sudden burst of energy or motivation. It is often an external event (a comment, a deadline, a competitor's action) that provokes a response.
- A surprising comment from his father spurred her to finally apply for his dream job.
Galvanize is used to encourage someone by shocking or exciting so profoundly that it stirs them into action, often on a larger scale. It implies a major shift from inaction to determined action.
Its tone is very powerful, dramatic, and transformative.
- The leader's powerful speech galvanized the entire nation to support the cause.
Exhort is used to make a strong, forceful appeal to someone, urging them earnestly to do something. It often has a moral or rhetorical flavor. It is typically used in speeches or formal writing.
- The general exhorted his troops to fight with courage and honor.
In a nutshell
Encourage means to give someone confidence or support.
To urge someone is to strongly persuade them to take a specific action.
To galvanize someone is to shock or excite them into taking action.
To spur someone is to encourage them to take immediate action.
Exhort means to strongly urge someone to do something, using serious and powerful arguments.
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