supportive
Americanadjective
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giving support.
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providing sympathy or encouragement.
His family was supportive of his attempts to be a writer.
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providing additional help, information, etc.; auxiliary.
manufacturers of supportive materials.
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Medicine/Medical. helping to maintain a normal physiological balance, as by the intravenous administration of required nutriment.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of supportive
Explanation
To be supportive is to give help or assistance, or to hold something or someone up. If your parents are supportive of your dreams to become a chef, they might enroll you in cooking classes. Supportive is a snuggly word. Anything that supports you, or embraces you and holds you up is supportive. It can be physically supportive, like a girdle that holds your belly in, or emotionally supportive like a loving family or solid network of friends. A parent paying for a child's college bills is supportive financially. Things can be supportive, too — posts holding up a building are supportive. Being supportive is a good thing.
Vocabulary lists containing supportive
Dear Martin
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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.
“Hiring demand continues to improve and market conditions are increasingly more supportive of our business,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Rachel described Eric as "such as supportive, positive person"
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
“The center is working with several specialist veterinarians to determine the best supportive care for the moment,” the nonprofit wrote in a Facebook post, which racked up more than 120,000 likes within hours.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Going forward, both the macro backdrop and the earnings growth outlook should be more supportive for the compounders’ valuations.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
But Rabbi Gold was super supportive, and once Dana started working with me, I really turned the corner.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
