: a substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life
Tomatoes contain a lot of nutrients, among them vitamins C and B-complex and the minerals iron and potassium.—
Mayo Clinic Health Letter
Mayo Clinic Health LetterMost frugivores do not depend exclusively on fruits, because fruits tend to be deficient in certain nutrients such as protein, and because they are only seasonally available.—Robert Lee Smith
Robert Lee SmithSandy soils need organic amendments to help them retain nutrients and water, which otherwise leach out quickly.—Sunset
SunsetExamples of nutrient in a Sentence
Adjective
a breakfast drink enriched with nutrient proteins and vitamins
Noun
Fruits and vegetables have important nutrients.
The soil is low in nutrients.
You need more nutrients in your diet.
Recent Examples on the Web
Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2025
Both butternut squash and sweet potatoes are nutrient-rich vegetables.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 13 Nov. 2025
Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 25 Nov. 2025
Today that amalgam helps churn lifeless rocks and sediments into nutrient-rich soil everywhere from polar deserts to tropical forests, says study lead author Bruno Becker-Kerber, a paleontologist at Harvard University.
—Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nutrient
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Adjective
The process turns human remains into about 250 pounds of nutrient rich soil that loved ones can use in their gardens or scatter about a forest.
—Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2025
Both butternut squash and sweet potatoes are nutrient-rich vegetables.
—Merve Ceylan, Health, 13 Nov. 2025
Noun
Luckily, plenty of nutrient-dense foods are rich in magnesium, including certain fruits and vegetables.
—Cristina Mutchler, Verywell Health, 25 Nov. 2025
Today that amalgam helps churn lifeless rocks and sediments into nutrient-rich soil everywhere from polar deserts to tropical forests, says study lead author Bruno Becker-Kerber, a paleontologist at Harvard University.
—Taylor Mitchell Brown, Scientific American, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nutrient
Cite this Entry
“Nutrient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nutrient. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nutrient
1 of 2 adjective
nu·tri·ent
ˈn(y)ü-trē-ənt 
: furnishing nourishment
nutrient
2 of 2 noun
: a nutrient substance or ingredient
Medical Definition
nutrient
1 of 2 adjective
nu·tri·ent
ˈn(y)ü-trē-ənt
: furnishing nourishment
nutrient
2 of 2 noun
: a nutritive substance or ingredient
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