Verb

Definition: to make someone more confident.

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/emboldened

Found this word in the reading ” The Tunnel Rats of Atlantic Avenue” when Joseph asked Castillo is the there was any accidents in the tunnel and he responded that absolutely not. “thus emboldened, i scrambled down a ladder as cars and trucks whizzed by my head, walked thought a dirt trench and a doorway cut into a brick wall, and took a step back in time, into the arched tunnel.”

understanding what the word embolden means i understand that Joseph was not sure to go into the tunnel tour. That is why she asked Castillo if there was no accidents and said he responded no, she was confident and encouraged herself to go into the tunnel tour.