exhort
ig-ZORT
/ɪɡˈzɔːrt/
To strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.
Carries high moral urgency, emotional intensity, or solemn duty.
The story behind the word. Exhort combines Latin 'ex-' (thoroughly) with 'hortari' (to encourage or urge). Historically used in Roman military and religious contexts where commanders urged troops to stand firm in battle.
Word relationships
- urge: Urge can be personal or quiet; exhort carries public, formal, or moral intensity.
- dissuade: To advise or warn someone against doing an action.
Commonly confused with
- extort: Extort means obtaining money or favors through threats; exhort means passionately encouraging moral action.
Word family
- exhortation (noun): An address or speech emphatically urging someone to do something.
- exhortative (adjective): Serving to urge or encourage action.
Collocations
- exhort the crowd
- exhort followers to
- passionately exhort
- exhort the audience
Example sentences
- "The coach stood at the sideline to exhort his players to push through their fatigue in the final quarter." Sports coaching
- "Activists exhort world leaders to take immediate action against climate change before irreversible damage occurs." Environmental rally
Memory hook
EXHORT = EXERT energy to urge someone to do what is right. Urgently push toward action.
When not to use
Do not use for lighthearted or casual suggestions like picking a movie.
Fun facts
- In Latin rhetoric, an 'exhortatio' was a specific genre of speech aimed at inspiring courage before battle.
Related words
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