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

Booths at the celebration in Pennsylvania buzzed with activity from nonprofits, private companies and university research teams—many of which were focused on the nurturing and acquisition of talent.

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Mr Moyo was an award-winning poet, educator and arts administrator "who devoted his life to nurturing Zimbabwe's creative sector", according to the state-run Herald news site.

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“Knowing how to find people who understand the current landscape and collaborating with them and nurturing them is the reason why he’s still dominant.”

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Johnson and Sothea envisaged Sovann Komar as “a safe, nurturing home where orphaned and abandoned children can develop—physically, intellectually and spiritually—to their fullest potential,” according to the project’s website.

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This would allow the best in the business to serve their country for a year while also nurturing a culture of excellence.

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Related Words

• sustenance