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Showing results for "nurturing"
Synonyms

nurturing

American  
[nur-cher-ing] / ˈnɜr tʃər ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. providing food, protection, comfort, or support.

    Creating safe, nurturing places where all children can grow and develop their unique gifts is a responsibility of all adult members of a society.


noun

  1. the act of providing food, protection, support, or encouragement.

    There's no substitute for what nurturing can do for a child.

  2. the act or process of educating or training.

    We hope to build an ecosystem in this county that encourages incubation, innovation, and nurturing of entrepreneurs.

Etymology

Origin of nurturing

First recorded in 1425–75; nurtur(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense; nurtur(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

He reduces Bourdain to a zygote who simply needed enough nurturing to become his older, cooler self, when he could, instead, read between the lines to find what makes young Tony special.

From Salon Aug. 12, 2026

Complicating matters, he has never been particularly generous or nurturing, and he has no spouse, children or other immediate next of kin.

From MarketWatch Aug. 5, 2026

“Many same-sex couples provide loving and nurturing homes to their children, whether biological or adopted. And hundreds of thousands of children are presently being raised by such couples.”

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 26, 2026

Working out, sticking with hobbies, going on trips, setting goals, nurturing your relationships both at home and beyond, etc.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 25, 2026

Larissa’s life Elsewhere would be quiet and serene as befit the Old; she would not welcome the responsibility of nurturing a newchild who needed feeding and care, and would likely cry at night.

From "The Giver" by Lois Lowry

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