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nourish
[ nur-ish, nuhr- ]
verb (used with object)
- to sustain with food or nutriment; supply with what is necessary for life, health, and growth.
- to cherish, foster, keep alive, etc.:
He had long nourished the dream of living abroad.
- to strengthen, build up, or promote:
to nourish discontent among the workers; to nourish the arts in one's community.
Synonyms: advance, back, aid, help, encourage
Antonyms: discourage
nourish
/ ˈnʌrɪʃ /
verb
- to provide with the materials necessary for life and growth
- to support or encourage (an idea, feeling, etc); foster
to nourish resentment
Derived Forms
- ˈnourishing, adjective
- ˈnourisher, noun
- ˈnourishingly, adverb
Other Words From
- nourish·a·ble adjective
- nourish·er noun
- over·nourish verb (used with object)
- re·nourish verb (used with object)
- self-nourished adjective
- un·nourish·a·ble adjective
- un·nourished adjective
- well-nourished adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of nourish1
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
"Universal Basic Guys" doesn’t need to be a dry economics lecture, but entertainment can be both funny and nourishing to our shared cultural landscape.
This has made the clinic in Toronto — with the patients who arrive there — a place where I can share and nourish a thing as powerful as any medicine needed during a conflict: hope.
“But we’d like to nourish the lake, so it’s cleaner and healthier, so people can breathe.”
What these examples have in common is a commitment to public health and sustainability, achieved through the provision of subsidized, nourishing and tasty food.
Iranian food, I think, is just particularly nourishing and wonderful — it’s shaped my idea of what food should taste like and how I cook.
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More About Nourish
What does nourish mean?
Nourish means to promote healthy growth—to do or provide what’s needed for someone or something to be healthy and to grow and develop.
The word is most commonly used in relation to food. Healthy food nourishes us. Parents try to nourish their children by feeding them healthy foods. Sometimes, food is said to nourish more than the body, as in A warm, home-cooked meal nourishes the body and the spirit.
However, nourish can be used in many other contexts, including those that don’t involve food, as in Education nourishes our minds.
In the context of the growth and development of things, such as communities and relationships, nourish means to build up or promote, as in This grant is intended to nourish the local arts and culture scene. A more common synonym for this sense of the word is nurture.
In all of these senses, nourish is a somewhat formal and perhaps poetic word—it usually means something loftier than feed.
Less commonly, nourish can mean to cherish, foster, or keep alive, especially something abstract, like hopes or dreams. This isn’t always something positive—you can nourish a grudge, for example.
The word nourished is often used as an adjective, including in terms like well nourished, poorly nourished, undernourished, and malnourished. Things that nourish can be described with the adjective nourishing. The noun nourishment can refer to the act of nourishing or to something that nourishes.
Example: As a mother, it’s my job to nourish my kids physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Where does nourish come from?
The first records of the word nourish come from the 1200s. It comes from the Latin verb nūtrīre, meaning “to feed” or “to care for.” The words nurture, nutrition, nutritious, and nurse are based on the same root.
Nourish is closely associated with food, and even its senses that don’t literally involve food are usually likened to providing nourishing food to help someone or something grow healthy and strong. This is almost always positive. You can nourish your loved ones with love and affection, and you can nourish your mind with knowledge.
To undernourish is to fail to provide enough of what’s needed for someone or something to be healthy and to grow and develop. The word is especially used in the context of nutrition, but it can be used in the same figurative ways as nourish.
Did you know ... ?
What are some other forms related to nourish?
- nourishing (adjective)
- nourishment (noun)
- nourisher (noun)
- undernourish (verb)
- undernourished (past tense verb, adjective)
- overnourish (verb)
- malnourished (adjective)
What are some synonyms for nourish?
What are some words that share a root or word element with nourish?
What are some words that often get used in discussing nourish?
How is nourish used in real life?
Nourish and its related words are closely associated with food, but they can be used in a variety of contexts.
Cooking is critical. Even if you're alone, it nourishes the body and spirit to serve yourself something excellent, prepared with pride.
— autumn leaf (@this_is_cozy) January 7, 2018
Everything can nourish the writer. The dictionary, a new word, a voyage, an encounter…a book, a phrase learned.
ANAÏS NIN#amwriting #book pic.twitter.com/QeJ6QwETua— Novelicious (@noveliciouss) October 28, 2020
I wish for a world that values fairy tales, poetry, museums, libraries, and the arts. A world that sees these things not as expendable but ever necessary to nourish the human spirit.
— Into The Forest Dark (@ElliottBlackwe3) October 28, 2020
Try using nourish!
Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of nourish?
A. sustain
B. nurture
C. weaken
D. cultivate
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