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:
“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
It stems from his upbringing in a tough neighbourhood in Colon; Murillo worked odd jobs to support his mum and five siblings in their single-room home.
From BBC ● Jun. 27, 2026
According to Variety, the script followed Madonna from her upbringing in the suburbs of Detroit, her artistic awakening in 1980s New York City, and concluded around the 1998 release of “Ray of Light.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 23, 2026
Nothing the revered Dr. Bulkeley could say or do could be wrong in his pupil’s eyes, even the fervent defense of the King’s policies which went against all John’s upbringing.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
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
Annie and Nick feel like they might be a better fit in terms of their background and upbringings, but listening to their conversation about raising LGBTQ+ kids was uncomfortable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025
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.
