nurturing

[nur-cher-ing]

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of nurturing¹

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

She adds she’s been in nurturing positions her entire life — to her younger sister Elle, and to the daughters of her best friend, who are 5 and 2, as their godmother.

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Rueckert, 34, says the productivity boost he gets from Claude is a key to managing his triple duties, but his assistant requires nurturing.

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The fellowship is awarded in partnership with Chanel, signifying the brand’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of women filmmakers.

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Misogyny: This is the flip side of obligatory machismo, whereby women are not equal to men; their only value lies in conceiving and nurturing the chosen race.

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Her Bertha is the kindly, nurturing counterweight to Seth’s badgering boisterousness, a quality Morris infuses with just enough avuncular affection.

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Related Words

• sustenance