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Synonyms

budding

British  
/ ˈbʌdɪŋ /

adjective

  1. at an early stage of development but showing promise or potential

    a budding genius

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

budding Scientific  
/ bŭdĭng /
  1. A form of asexual reproduction in living organisms in which new individuals form from outgrowths (buds) on the bodies of mature organisms. These outgrowths grow by means of mitotic cell division. Many simple multicellular animals such as hydras and unicellular organisms such as yeasts reproduce by budding.


Explanation

Something that is described as budding is growing brand new buds. A budding rose bush is getting ready to burst into bloom. If you are in a budding romance, it is also just about to burst into a new phase of excitement. Ooh la la. When a tree or flower is budding, it's showing signs of the branches and blossoms that will soon appear. The same is true of a person who's described as budding — if you're a budding filmmaker, you're new at making movies but already show great promise. Budding most likely comes from the Old French boter, "push forward or thrust."

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Vocabulary lists containing budding

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.

In its place was a budding love for the search for truth and beauty that math was offering, and a sense of purpose and meaning that he had not felt before.

From Slate • May 2, 2026

But it was but one slop stop in his budding career.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 24, 2026

He was part of a band in middle school that performed songs he wrote, while a budding songwriting career began in his university years.

From BBC • Apr. 21, 2026

In each region he visited, Magyar energized a budding grassroots campaign by urging Hungarians to start organizing “citizen circles” made up of Tisza volunteers pushing for change.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

A reminder of a dream that was wilting even as it was budding.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini

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