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exhorter

exhorter

8.4
A person who strongly encourages people to act, often for moral or religious reasons
  • noun
  • /ɪɡˈzɔːrtər/
translation icon : exhortador
  • He actively engaged in the same pursuits himself and, at Suffield, he willingly ceded his ministerial authority to gifted lay exhorters.

Examples

  • "On Saturday, he joined the penitents on the mourners' bench; when exhorters tried to counsel him, he would not let them," but rudely elbowed them off.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Similar concerns may have attracted self-appointed lay exhorters like Reuben Ely to the Enfield meetinghouse as well.

    Academic text (2005)
  • I'm not an exhorter, Mr. Cogburn.

  • But that's exactly what the wailers and exhorters seem to want.

    Blog text (14)
  • Further, the invocation of duty or sacrifice implies that someone else is going to receive the sacrifice or the payment of the "obligation"; and often that someone is the exhorter himself.

    Blog text (16)
  • An exhorter from Annamessex opened the meeting with an account of what God was doing on the mainland, and an exposition of Methodist doctrine.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Eventually he does receive his exhorter's license (48), but when he applies for a license to preach, he is denied.

    Academic text (1999)
  • He is a licensed exhorter in the United Reformed Churches of North America, and he blogs at **33;4076;TOOLONG.

    Blog text (13)
  • Throughout our century, American public figures have reiterated that the family is the bedrock of national cultural values (Newt Gingrich is only the most recent exhorter on behalf of this venerable shibboleth).

    Academic text (1996)
  • The motivational speaker was an inspiring exhorter who urged everyone to pursue their dreams.

Synonyms

persuader
vsexhorter
2 3.7

A person who convinces others to do or believe something

tends to urge action with moral or faith based emphasis rather than argument
proselytizer
vsexhorter
  • US
2 8.9

A person who tries to convince others to follow a religion or belief

is more about urging moral improvement rather than active conversion
hortator
vsexhorter
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A person who strongly encourages others to act

is similar but usually tied to moral or religious urging
encourager
vsexhorter
1 2.7

A person who supports others and makes them feel confident

is stronger and more insistent, often pressing moral or religious change
inducer
vsexhorter
1 8.1

A person who persuades others to do something or accept an idea

focuses more on moral or religious improvement than simple persuasion
mobilizer
vsexhorter
  • US
1 5.8

A person who encourages and organizes people to take action for a cause

is individual focused and often about moral improvement rather than organizing
inspirer
vsexhorter
1 5.8

A person who encourages people and makes them want to act

uses direct strong urging often tied to moral or religious aims
evangelizer
vsexhorter
7.5

A person who tries to persuade others to follow a religion

focuses more broadly on moral urging beyond formal religious conversion
galvanizer
vsexhorter
7.8

A person who makes others want to act and change things

relies more on moral or religious exhortation than on excitement
spurrier
vsexhorter
9.6

A person who encourages others to act and keep making progress

adds a moral or religious reason for urging people

Antonyms

Something that makes a person lose confidence and not want to try

How Forceful

firebrand
  • Formal
10 7.9
rabble-rouser
  • Literature
6 8.5
exhorter
8.4
preacher
291 3.2
encourager
1 2.7

Surface Forms

exhorter singular
exhorters plural

Morphology

exhorter = exhort (transparent) = exhort + er

Standard agentive formation: '-er' added to the verb 'exhort' yields 'exhorter' meaning 'person who exhorts'.

Etymology

Exhorter comes from Latin parts ex- ('out' or 'thoroughly') and hort- ('urge' or 'encourage'), so it meant someone who pushes people to act. Think of an exhorter as a very strong kind of encourager who urges others to do something or improve.