MOTHERING Synonyms: 75 Similar and Opposite Words

mothering 1 of 2

noun

as in motherhood

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mothering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mother

as in having

to bring forth from the womb I hope to mother at least one child

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in nursing

to attend to the needs and comforts of mothered the patients with chicken soup

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of mothering

Noun

The cultural ascendance of intensive mothering, in which mothers are deemed entirely responsible for their children’s well-being and success, has upped the ante. — Marianne Cooper, Time, 5 Aug. 2026 To make their point perfectly clear, women are sharing photos of themselves breastfeeding in front of Old Masters paintings in museums that depict the very same mothering act. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026 Yet the history of motherhood has remained largely untold, and the narrative is not often driven by the people who do the actual mothering. — Holly Corbett, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026 Each statue the perfect epitome of silent, mothering, virginal womanhood that Ireland had come to worship. — Literary Hub, 8 May 2026 Suzanne O’Donnell, an accomplished regional theater actor with a lot of Shakespeare on her resume, plays Penrose as both a warm mothering figure to these two occasionally babyish men but does not downplay the character’s pragmatic side. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026 For almost a century, since the dawn of mass screen entertainment, society has passed through waves of panic over media’s effects on children, which have often coincided with panics over the effects of various kinds of mothering. — Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026 In response to the mothering of a sister, a brother has options—resist, lash out, put up with it, become utterly dependent on it. — Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport. — Jocelyn Noveck, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026

Verb

Somehow mothering four children, leading a massive pop resurgence, and still making time for a fun night with her girlfriends for a glass of wine (or seven). — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026 Key strands of the film are about mothering with laser focus on the parents played by Okonedo and Mallen. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026 Really, the album is about tiring of mothering men who are great in bed but lack crucial social skills. — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025 And as the following selections from the archives of The Christian Science Publishing Society show, prayer can bring out more of how God is mothering, comforting, and preserving us right here and now. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 8 May 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothering

Noun

His reverence for her motherhood — which the film avoids asking her about, substituting discussion with endless visuals of her breastfeeding and swinging her children through the waves — echoes the themes of season one.

— Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Ahead of her anticipated return to Broadway in the 1980s Cold War musical Chess, the actor opens up about recalibrating her relationship to ambition, motherhood, the rigor behind her return, and more.

— Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of motherhood

Verb

In addition to having space for free agents, the club will also likely protect a few prospects who are otherwise eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.

— Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2026
The crows solved the task the same way primates do, using the same mathematical logic despite having a very different brain structure.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of having

Verb

The Saints could be without star quarterback Brailon Davis who’s nursing an injury, but backup Bodie Brown has stepped in and completed 32 of 45 for 454 yards and seven touchdowns in the past two games.

— Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Oct. 2026
Orlando has spent decades nursing an enormous inferiority complex to the bigger, older, richer, and more historically relevant cities in Florida, the Southeast, and the East Coast.

— Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of nursing

Verb

Whether praying together before a game or giving high-fives after touchdowns, the Palos Verdes duo keeps producing on short slants or deep posts.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Eshelman threw for 291 yards while also producing a game-high 136 rushing yards.

— Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of producing

Verb

The Holistic Touch treatment uses Ayurvedic techniques to rebalance the body’s energy, including healing poultices and marma-point stimulation.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026
Recognizing this divine reality even a little, brings tangible, healing comfort to anyone who opens up their heart to it.

— The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of healing

Verb

The president has also in the past made similar promises of delivering cash payments to Americans, which did not materialize.

— Anniek Bao, CNBC, 28 Oct. 2026
Unlike older laser skin treatments that essentially remove the top layer of a patient's skin, Fraxel lasers keep most of the epidermis intact while delivering laser energy through the skin's micro thermal zones.

— Norah O'Donnell, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026