Synonyms of harbored

harbored

verb

past tense of harbor

1

as in had

to keep in one's mind or heart

he had long harbored a grudge against his old employer, who had high-handedly fired him without cause

Synonyms & Similar Words

• had
• held
• retained
• cultivated
• cherished
• entertained
• bore
• kept
• maintained
• nursed
• fostered
• remembered
• carried
• nurtured
• sustained
• preserved
• held on to
• hugged
• supported
• hung on to
• treasured
• stuck (to)
• clung (to)
• cleaved (to)
• brooded (about or over)
• fixated (on or upon)
• obsessed (about or over)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignored
• disregarded
• dropped
• denied
• neglected
• overlooked
• refused
• rejected
• forgot
• declined
• abandoned
• repudiated
• scorned
• discarded
• renounced
• deserted
• disdained
• quit
• gave up
• erased
• abjured
• parted (with)
• forsook
• threw out
• expunged

2

as in housed

to provide with living quarters or shelter

the woods in our suburb harbor deer, foxes, raccoons, and skunks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• housed
• accommodated
• lodged
• sheltered
• boarded
• camped
• domiciled
• bestowed
• roomed
• roofed
• billeted
• encamped
• quartered
• bunked
• chambered
• bivouacked
• ensconced
• took in
• secured
• put up
• stabled
• homed
• tented
• shedded
• roosted
• barracked
• bedded (down)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ejected
• evicted

3

as in sheltered

to be or provide a shelter for

the little cabin is harbored from the wind by a thick growth of pines

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sheltered
• protected
• housed
• defended
• secured
• refuged
• safeguarded
• shielded
• warded
• screened
• domiciled
• covered
• shadowed
• placed
• shaded
• quartered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• exposed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of harbored

If a journalist had responded that way to finding out the sole holdout on the Lindsay Clancy jury was a white man, most people would have appropriately asked what stereotypes about white men the journalist harbored. — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 19 Sep. 2026

Saudi officials harbored a long list of grievances with Qatar, including its support for the Muslim Brotherhood, a global Islamist movement. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Whatever doubts McCartney still harbored disappeared when the four musicians began to play along with the tape of his acoustic solo performance. — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 4 Sep. 2026

Americans have long harbored a sneaking admiration for people who buck the system, who get to make their own rules instead of having rules imposed on them. — Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

Vessels have continued to endure more attacks for sailing through the conduit, which before the war in Iran harbored as much as 20 percent of the world’s oil supply. — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 27 Aug. 2026

The Department of Justice (DOJ) said Lang was known to sail around the world and frequently harbored in Hawaii. — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026

Nor will viewers be surprised by the secret harbored by ring-girl Kim (Tahirah Sharif), whose interest in Duke is both predictably motivated and generally chemistry-free. — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026

Having grown up with the Larrabees’ children, Sabrina has always harbored feelings for David (Greg Kinnear), though he’s never reciprocated. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 23 July 2026