Vocabulary Builder — Essay & Answer Writing
Exhortation
noun
/ eg-zor-TAY-shuhn /
Medium
Meaning
An earnest urging or appeal to do something, often lacking the force of a binding instrument
Origin / Etymology
Latin exhortari, 'to encourage strongly' (ex-, 'thoroughly' + hortari, 'to urge')
Synonyms
Appeal
Urging
Entreaty
Antonyms
Mandate
Compulsion
Example Sentence
"A strategy that simply exhorts private capital into refining without addressing the economics will produce announcements rather than plants, since exhortation alone cannot overcome an unbankable business case."
🎯 UPSC Usage
Useful when contrasting persuasion-based policy with binding regulation, e.g., 'moving from exhortation to enforceable emission standards was decisive in reducing vehicular pollution in Delhi-NCR.'
Relevant Subjects
📰 Related Articles
9 Aug
Current Affairs Today, August 9, 2026
9 Aug
Parliament Passes the MSMED Overhaul: Decriminalisation...
8 Aug
Current Affairs Today, August 8, 2026
✍️ Related Editorials
A new UPSC word every morning
Word of the Day at 7am, plus daily current affairs and free PDFs
Join Channel