What does "nurture" mean?
The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care
Nurture
/ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care
- Grammar: nurture is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: foster, raise, upbringing, abet.
- Useful contrasts: abandon, abandonment, deprivation.
- Usage evidence: Let's use our experiences to nurture the sense needed to make marital relations go well.
How to use "nurture"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "nurture" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "nurture" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "nurture" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "nurture" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "nurture" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "foster" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "nurture", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of nourishing or nursing; tender care countable, uncountable
- 2 helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community wordnet
- 3 That which nourishes; food; diet. countable, uncountable
"Other great houses there bee of the English in Ireland, which thorough licentious conversing with the Irish, or marrying, or fostering with them, or lacke of meete nurture, or other such unhappy occasions, have degendred from their auncient dignities, and are now growne as Irish, as O-hanlans breech, as the proverbe there is."
- 4 the properties acquired as a consequence of the way you were treated as a child wordnet
- 5 The environmental influences that contribute to a person’s development (as opposed to "nature"). countable, uncountable
"A Deuill, a borne-Deuill, on whoſe nature / Nurture can neuer ſticke :"
Show 1 more definition
- 6 The act or process of encouraging the growth or development of something. countable, uncountable
"The problem is aggravated by the fact that much of the gay sub-culture is not conducive to the nurture of the radical ego integrity of which Erikson speaks."
Verb
- 1 To nourish or nurse.
"Look where he would, some heap of ruins afforded him rich promise of a working off; the whole town appeared to have been ploughed, and sown, and nurtured by most genial weather; and a goodly harvest was at hand."
- 2 help develop, help grow wordnet
- 3 To encourage, especially the growth or development of something. broadly, figuratively
"2009, UNESCO, The United Nations World Water Development Report – N° 3 - 2009 – Freshwater and International Law (the Interplay between Universal, Regional and Basin Perspectives), page 10, →ISBN The relationships between universal norms and specific norms nurture the development of international law."
- 4 provide with nourishment wordnet
- 5 look after a child until it is an adult wordnet
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Let's use our experiences to nurture the sense needed to make marital relations go well."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "nurture"?
Common synonyms include: foster, raise, upbringing, abet, acculturate, adopt power saving habits.
How do you use "nurture" in a sentence?
Let's use our experiences to nurture the sense needed to make marital relations go well.
How do you pronounce "nurture"?
Pronounced /ˈnɜːɹ.t͡ʃəɹ/.
Etymology
From Middle English norture, noriture, from Old French norriture, norreture, from Late Latin nutritura (“nourishment”), from Latin nutrire (“to nourish”).