supportive

[ suh-pawr-tiv, -pohr- ]

/ səˈpɔr tɪv, -ˈpoʊr- /

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adjective

providing sympathy or encouragement: His family was supportive of his attempts to be a writer.

providing additional help, information, etc.; auxiliary: manufacturers of supportive materials.

Medicine/Medical. helping to maintain a normal physiological balance, as by the intravenous administration of required nutriment.

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Origin of supportive

First recorded in 1585–95; support + -ive

OTHER WORDS FROM supportive

sup·port·ive·ness, nounnon·sup·port·ive, adjectiveun·sup·port·ive, adjective

Words nearby supportive

supportable, support area, supporter, support group, supporting, supportive, supportive psychotherapy, supportive therapy, support level, support mission, support price

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use supportive in a sentence

Sometimes when people who look like us are not showing up in ways that we think are supportive and nurturing, it’s because they are exhausted themselves … And so what I would remind my younger self is that you never know who’s watching.
The Educator Fighting to Rectify the Achievement Gap|Esabelle Lee|February 6, 2021|Ozy
My spouse is an actively engaged parent and supportive partner.
Why working moms deserve a tantrum (and how to survive the remainder of the pandemic)|Christine Koh|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
And, we have a very, very supportive community that we love and appreciate so much.
How One Instagram Post Inspired Diners From Around the World to Donate Restaurant Meals|Amanda Kludt|January 27, 2021|Eater
Now, the post is flooded with supportive messages, photos of other health care workers getting their shot, and praise for the good example set, burying the anti-vaxx comments and attacks.
Why Fights Over The COVID-19 Vaccine Are Everywhere On Facebook|Kaleigh Rogers|January 22, 2021|FiveThirtyEight

“We believe that practical skills training, a supportive global community and career development programs can give everyone, regardless of their education or employment history, the ability to write their stories through technology,” said Quiñones.
Miami-based Ironhack raises $20 million for its coding bootcamps as demand for coders continues|Jonathan Shieber|January 20, 2021|TechCrunch
Yes, some people have been inconvenienced by traffic delays or annoyed by supportive athletes.
What Would Happen if I Got in White Cop’s Face?|Goldie Taylor|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the scene outside Woodhull Hospital wasn't entirely supportive.
Anger at The Cop Killer - And The Police|M.L. Nestel|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“He is ‘an independent socialist,’” said one organizer supportive of Warren.
Why the Left Loves Warren, But Won’t Swoon for Sanders|David Freedlander|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), a leading voice on police demilitarization, was supportive of the White House announcement.
SWAT Lobby Shoots to Kill Police Reform After Ferguson|Tim Mak|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Many historians have leveled criticism at the Code, arguing that it was too conservative and supportive of the bourgeois.
Napoleon Was a Dynamite Dictator|J.P. O’Malley|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This may in part be due to the nature of the insulating and supportive apparatus.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology: Volume 6, Number 4, December 1914|Various
The police and courts should have well-established and mutually supportive relationships with the schools.
What Works: Schools Without Drugs|United States Department of Education
The supportive appliance is kept in position for ten days or two weeks.
Lameness of the Horse|John Victor Lacroix
It is tough on criminals and supportive of police, and it has been languishing in these hallowed halls for years now.
Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to 2006|Various
Some may be conducting fibrils, but it is hard to distinguish these from supportive.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology: Volume 6, Number 4, December 1914|Various

British Dictionary definitions for supportive

supportive

/ (səˈpɔːtɪv) /

adjective

providing support, esp moral or emotional support

Derived forms of supportive

supportively, adverbsupportiveness, noun

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

supportive

Origin of supportive

OTHER WORDS FROM supportive

Words nearby supportive

Words related to supportive

How to use supportive in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for supportive

Derived forms of supportive