supportive
Americanadjective
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giving support.
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providing sympathy or encouragement.
His family was supportive of his attempts to be a writer.
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providing additional help, information, etc.; auxiliary.
manufacturers of supportive materials.
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Medicine/Medical. helping to maintain a normal physiological balance, as by the intravenous administration of required nutriment.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived 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
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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.
The inventory data looked particularly supportive for Henry Hub and Nymex futures as storage in the South Central region was 41 Bcf below the year-earlier level, Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026
While some described the former Marine as a kind and supportive partner, others detailed disturbing conduct.
From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026
Analysts pointed to “improving medical cost trends and supportive near-term data points,” which they believe positions UnitedHealth for a “favorable” setup heading into second-quarter earnings.
From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026
Not all eligible USC faculty have been supportive.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
Told him he should run my race since he's so supportive.
From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions 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.
