upbringing

American  

[uhp-bring-ing] / ˈʌpˌbrɪŋ ɪŋ /

noun

1. the care and training of young children or a particular type of such care and training.

   His religious upbringing fitted him to be a missionary.

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upbringing British  

/ ˈʌpˌbrɪŋɪŋ /

noun

1. Also called: bringing-up.  the education of a person during his formative years

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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.

Example Sentences

He has said his upbringing left him "quite cynical" of the role of the state compared with many Labour colleagues, aware of its failings as well as its potential to enable opportunity.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

I grew up Missouri Synod Lutheran, went to a Lutheran elementary school, public, middle school and high school, but definitely the Bible and family worship were central to my upbringing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

According to the study, much of that connection appears to be tied to genetics rather than upbringing alone.

From Science Daily • May 6, 2026

These were white women who had had a religious upbringing, and they knew that their views would be met with judgment or even animosity from family and neighbors.

From Slate • May 4, 2026

Also, he was Jewish, and although Lawrence was not an anti-Semite, he could be oversensitive to ethnic distinctions, possibly because of his upbringing in an ethnically homogenous rural community.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik