Definition of childbearingnext
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children in olden days many women died in childbearing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

childbearing

2 of 2

adjective

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 childbearing
Noun
But Steinem lived to see the rise of a powerful backlash against her vision of feminism, with reproductive rights, motherhood, childbearing and gender roles once again at the center of the country's culture wars. ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Not least because the hips—or rather, a wide pelvis—are considered a symbol of femininity, fertility, and childbearing capacity, both from a cultural-historical and an evolutionary-biology perspective. Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026 In fact, for millennia the role of mothers has included not only childbearing and education but also protection over the community as a whole, especially through advocacy for peace. Marie-Claire Beaulieu, The Conversation, 5 May 2026 Poor women’s childbearing, particularly among Black and immigrant populations, was increasingly portrayed as a driver of intergenerational poverty and social disorder. Sonya Borrero, STAT, 1 May 2026 Though some countries have tried to slow or reverse the trend through pro-natal policies—including cash incentives and tax breaks for childbearing, affordable childcare, and longer parental leaves—their long-term success has not been definitively proved so far. Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026 Around the eleventh century, in Anglo‑Saxon England, instructions for an elaborate childbearing and mothering ritual were recorded by monks in the Lacnunga, a collection of medical texts and curative prayers. Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026 Cleghorn notes that many Minoan women died between the ages of twenty and twenty-five, indicating that childbearing was most likely the cause of death. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026 Women past childbearing years often see OB-GYNs less frequently. Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Egg freezing, formally called oocyte preservation, is one of the clearest ways to extend a woman’s childbearing years. Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 In the United Kingdom, there is a midwife assigned to every childbearing individual, regardless of the risk status of the pregnancy. Deanna Taylor, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childbearing
Noun
  • The human neurons suffered severe, selective damage, mimicking the cellular breakdown that causes cerebral palsy in human infants during difficult childbirths.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Many women encounter discrimination during pregnancy and after childbirth, despite state and federal laws designed to protect them.
    ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • As pregnancies progress, gestational hypertension increases the risk of preeclampsia, which also leads to liver and kidney problems.
    Megha Satyanarayana, Scientific American, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Six percent of women giving birth in 2016 were reported as having gestational hypertension.
    Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • According to the county, the condition accounts for 15% of recurrent pregnancy loss, but testing is not part of routine prenatal screening.
    Julie Sharp, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Communities have seen moms start prenatal care earlier and stick with it.
    Mona Hanna, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Isabel, who was born in Glasgow, Scotland, got pregnant at age 19 and had been forced to place her daughter for adoption, according to a press release obtained by PEOPLE.
    Becca Longmire, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Cole emphasized that people feel uncomfortable around pregnant women due to the underrepresentation of women in places of power at work.
    Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 17 Sep. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Childbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childbearing. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster