INCUBATED Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

incubated

verb

past tense of incubate

as in spawned

to cover and warm eggs as the young inside develop the hen incubated her eggs for two weeks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in cultivated

to help the growth or development of hopefully, these youthful visits to the museum will incubate an enduring love of art

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 incubated After they’re incubated and hatched, the ducklings are raised for about five weeks and released into the wild. — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Oct. 2026 The eggs are incubated and hatched there, and the ducklings are raised for about five weeks before being released back into the wild. — Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 16 Oct. 2026 His attempt at an answer is a new platform called PopZao, a website and WeChat mini program that Black Lake has incubated for two years. — Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026 But the contemporary prediction market movement was largely incubated by George Mason University professor Robin Hanson and San Diego businessman Charles Polk beginning in the ’90s. — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 Others, for certain, are incubated by gridiron versions of cheer moms, who shuffle their sons around in search of stardom. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2026 Tempo, the payments-specific chain, was incubated with Paradigm rather than acquired. — Janakiram Msv, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Google’s self-driving car project graduated from X to become Waymo, and Google Glass was likewise incubated there. — IEEE Spectrum, 17 Aug. 2026 According to the ancient Greeks, a mighty serpent called Ophion incubated an enormous egg that hatched into the universe and all its inhabitants. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for incubated

Verb

The meet-up has spawned gossip that Sarandos was full-on courting the duo.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
In contrast to other Gulf monarchies, especially Saudi Arabia, Qatar sees no threat in the Muslim Brotherhood, the political movement that spawned Hamas.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of spawned

Verb

Eisenkot has cultivated a reputation for integrity, competence, and personal rectitude, forging relationships across Israel’s fractured political spectrum.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
Smith, who previously worked at fashion house Loewe, sees an opportunity for technology to develop the same kind of recognizable identity that fashion brands have cultivated for decades.

— Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of cultivated

Verb

As a youngster, the Disney Channel was constantly switched on at the family home, Adéla hatched a plan and a timeline.

— Lars Brandle, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2026
Once hatched, the larvae feed on living tissue, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— Kierra Frazier, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of hatched

Verb

She eventually was promoted over to the ice cream machine—and began to grow fond of the adrenaline-like rush that can come with working in a restaurant.

— Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
In low doses, the kratom plant is promoted as giving users greater alertness and physical energy but it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of promoted

Verb

This fine establishment has sat at the same address in the Williamsburg Bridge's shadow since 1887, and the interiors carry about as many frills as your average public house—dark wood, plaster walls, and so on.

— Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Dec. 2025
The birthday boy and his big sister Sterling Skye, 3, each sat between one of their parents’ laps.

— Angel Saunders, People.com, 24 Dec. 2024

Definition of sat

Verb

Alison Linder, assistant sustainability coordinator at Occidental College, which has a thrift store of its own with Halloween costumes in stock, encouraged people to organize their own swaps with neighbors, friends or school classmates.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly dismissed previous caution of AI tools and encouraged rapid autonomous innovation at the Pentagon.

— Chiara Eisner, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraged

Verb

Parking was no more than $5 — that would be $10 today, after inflation — and the Dodgers nurtured the next generation of fans by offering free tickets to A students and a kids’ fan club that included six tickets for $2.

— Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
As the youngest of four boys in a soccer-loving family, he was nurtured for moments like this one.

— Henry Bushnell, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of nurtured

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“Incubated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/incubated. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of incubated

verb

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