upbringing
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of upbringing
First recorded in 1475–85; gerund of upbring “to rear children” (obsolete since the 16th century)
Explanation
Your upbringing is how you were raised as a child. You might have had a rough upbringing or a gentler one, but at least you made it this far. Looking at the base “bring” in upbringing, we find a Germanic origin meaning "to carry." You might consider the "carry" idea as a way to remember the word, considering a parent "carries" a child to adulthood, providing what then becomes the child’s upbringing.
Vocabulary lists containing upbringing
"Marriage is a Private Affair" by Chinua Achebe
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "U"
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Elijah of Buxton
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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.
See Examples For:
In spite of the characters’ separate upbringing, Miyamoto still wanted to convey their bond in her vocal performance.
From Salon ● Jul. 18, 2026
“Maybe we made some mistakes,” Mr. McElwee admits, a bit reluctantly, to his son in reference to his upbringing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
You can lead by example and show how you are not defined by your upbringing, disability or finances.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
He attributes his love of entertaining to his upbringing as an only child in Downey.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
This was by no means an eccentric upbringing in the American Upper Midwest of the era.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Their upbringings may have been vastly different but the net result is not: they’re winners, as good as it gets at this.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 5, 2026
Though their upbringings were markedly different, it was their shared comedic sensibilities that connected Jimenez and McMechan when they met in college.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 4, 2026
A former police captain, vice president-elect Edman Lara is known for his humble upbringings and whistleblowing on police corruption.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025
My sister and I may have had harder upbringings than my daughters did, but what if we could have had something of their kind of love too?
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2024
One cannot blame their surroundings or upbringings for their behavior.
From "Allegedly" by Tiffany D. Jackson
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.
