Urging

Part of speech: noun, verb

Pronunciation: /ˈɝd͡ʒɪŋ/

Definitions

1. The act of pushing someone to take decisive action or make a choice
2. The act of strongly encouraging someone to do something without delay
3. An effort made to convince or motivate another person to act promptly

Etymology: The verb "urge" comes from Latin "urgēre," which meant to press, push, or drive forward, and it is easy to feel that physical shove in the English word. Latin speakers used "urgēre" for pressing against something, and from there it extended to pressing a person: to force, to hound, to insist. English took the sense of earnest pressing on someone's mind or will, so to urge a person is to push them toward a course of action rather than simply to suggest one. The noun "urging" carries that same pressure. It names the act of pressing someone to move, which is why the word fits both a friend's gentle nudge and a more insistent campaign to get someone to act quickly. The "-ing" ending simply turns the action into a thing that can be done or received, so "at the urging of" a friend is a phrase about being pushed by someone else.

Synonyms: encouragement, prompting

Antonyms: discouragement