nourishment

noun

nour·​ish·​ment ˈnər-ish-mənt 

ˈnə-rish-

1

a

: food, nutriment

b

: sustenance sense 3

books for intellectual nourishment

2

: the act of nourishing : the state of being nourished

Synonyms

• food
• sustenance

Examples of nourishment in a Sentence

These children are suffering because they lack proper nourishment.

Soil provides nourishment to plants.

Recent Examples on the Web

Being overly calculative or constantly policing your portions can take away from the actual experience of nourishment and taking care of yourself. —Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government bears responsibility for policies that are now depriving Gazans of adequate nourishment and may soon kill them in staggering numbers. —Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 4 Aug. 2025

But for the O’odham people, the saguaro is more than a provider of nourishment, tools, and shelter. —The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 25 July 2025

Most plants have this ability, using the chemical reactions in photosynthesis to produce carbohydrates for their own nourishment. —Emily Leahy, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for nourishment

• undernourishment

Kids Definition

nourishment

noun

nour·​ish·​ment ˈnər-ish-mənt 

ˈnə-rish-

1

: something that nourishes : food, nutriment

2

: the act of nourishing : the state of being nourished

Medical Definition

nourishment

noun

nour·​ish·​ment ˈnər-ish-mənt, ˈnə-rish- 

1

: food sense 1, nutriment

2

: the act of nourishing or the state of being nourished