simple past tense and past participle of encourage
"After failing her first math test, Sarah was encouraged by her teacher to try studying a different way."
In plain English: Encouraged means someone is giving you support or confidence to do something.
"My teacher encouraged me to read more books during summer break."
Usage: Use "encouraged" to describe an action where you gave someone support or confidence in the past. It functions as both the simple past form and the past participle when paired with auxiliary verbs like "had.
Derived from Old French encorager, this term originally meant to make bold or courageous by instilling confidence in someone's abilities. It entered English via the phrase en couraige, literally translating to "into courage.