supportive
Americanadjective
-
giving support.
-
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.
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Nothing But the Truth
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Father's Day Words
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Affleck says, for now, she’s staying offline, dodging all chatter — supportive or not — about the end of her marriage.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026
Victims said he was supportive of their claims.
From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026
Jonathan Reynolds, the Business and Trade Secretary, is supportive of getting closer to the EU and discussing the UK's long term relationship.
From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026
ABN Amro economists say that AI investments could shift to more supportive U.S. states.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026
When she started to cry, I felt very nervous and was racking my brain for some sort of reaction, some wise word, some supportive, comforting gesture.
From "Where Things Come Back" by John Corey Whaley
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
