Meanings
comparative more hortative · superlative most hortative
- comparableUrging, exhorting, or encouraging.
The ministration of these oracles from the pulpit is to be reformed from any of its factitious peculiarities, and made again what it was among the apostles and their immediate successors—earnest, simple, powerful address—hortative talk, if we may so call it.
January 1854, “The Preaching Required by the Times”, in The National Magazine, volume 4, number 1, New York, Editorial, pages 79–80 - not comparablegrammarOf a mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement.
Synonyms: hortatory, supportive, cohortative, exhortative, hortatory
plural hortatives
- grammarA mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement.
Synonyms: cohortative, exhortative
Synonyms & antonyms
adjectiveOf a mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement.
nounA mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectivegiving strong encouragement
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latinhortātīvus
- Englishhortative
From Latin hortātīvus, from hortor (“to exhort”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian увещателен
- увещателен (uveštatelen)urging, exhorting, or encouraging
Chinese Mandarin 激勵的 /激励的, 勉勵的 /勉励的
- 激勵的 /激励的 (jīlì de)urging, exhorting, or encouraging
- 勉勵的 /勉励的 (miǎnlì de)urging, exhorting, or encouraging
Finnish kehottava, hortatiivinen
- kehottavaurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- hortatiivinenof a mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement
French hortatif, hortatif
- hortatifurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- hortatifof a mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement
Hungarian buzdító, serkentő
- buzdítóurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- serkentőurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- bátorítóurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- biztatóurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- ösztönzőurging, exhorting, or encouraging
Italian esortativo
- esortativourging, exhorting, or encouraging
Polish zachęcający, napominający
- zachęcającyurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- napominającyurging, exhorting, or encouraging
- hortatywnyof a mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement
Russian настави́тельный, увещева́тельный
- настави́тельный (nastavítelʹnyj)urging, exhorting, or encouraging
- увещева́тельный (uveščevátelʹnyj)urging, exhorting, or encouraging
- назида́тельный (nazidátelʹnyj)urging, exhorting, or encouraging
- поучи́тельный (poučítelʹnyj)urging, exhorting, or encouraging
Spanish hortativo, hortativo
- hortativourging, exhorting, or encouraging
- hortativoof a mood or class of imperative subjunctive moods of a verb for giving strong encouragement
Cite this entry
hortative. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hortative
“hortative.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hortative. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hortative,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hortative.
Source: hortative on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.