nurture
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to help a person, an idea, or a skill grow and develop over time.
v.to encourage the growth or development of something, such as a talent, a relationship, or a business.
Simple“The teacher worked hard to nurture her students' interest in science.”
In context“The startup incubator aims to nurture early-stage companies by providing them with both capital and expert mentorship during their first year.”
UsageOften used with abstract nouns like 'talent', 'ambition', or 'creativity'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to look after a child, animal, or plant while it is growing.
v.to provide the necessary care and nourishment for a living thing to reach maturity.
Simple“She carefully nurtured the young plants until they were strong enough to be moved outside.”
In context“Biologists observed how the mother bear nurtured her cubs through the harsh winter months in the cave.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.the way you were raised and the environment you grew up in, rather than your genes.
n.the environmental factors and upbringing that shape an individual's development, often contrasted with genetic inheritance.
Simple“Psychologists often debate whether our personality comes from nature or nurture.”
In context“The study suggests that nurture plays a more significant role than genetics in determining a child's linguistic proficiency by age five.”
Teacher's tipAlmost always taught in the context of the 'nature versus nurture' debate in social sciences.
SynonymsAntonymsnatureheredity
“English literature is an amazing opportunity to nurture a joy of reading, to open minds to other cultures and worlds and wonders.”
“Where fathers are expected to nurture as much as provide.”
From Middle English norture, noriture, from Old French norriture, norreture, from Late Latin nutritura (“nourishment”), from Latin nutrire (“to nourish”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.