nurturing
Americanadjective
noun
-
the act of providing food, protection, support, or encouragement.
There's no substitute for what nurturing can do for a child.
-
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.
Early in the 20th century, Franzoy’s great grandfather arrived from Italy, cleared the desert land and planted chilies, onions and potatoes, nurturing the plants with water from the Rio Grande.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
"She was begging for help," she said of a woman she described as a "very nurturing, very loving" mother.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
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
He now made his first appeal to a source he had been carefully nurturing for more than a year.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.