Synonyms of mending

mending 1 of 3

noun

as in rehabilitation

the process or period of gradually regaining one's health and strength

it was a long slow mending of his injuries from the car crash, but he's fine now

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rehabilitation
• recovery
• healing
• rehab
• convalescence
• recuperation
• comeback
• revival
• resuscitation
• survival
• snapback
• rally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• failing
• deterioration
• weakening
• sinking
• decline
• worsening
• degeneration
• fading
• regression
• languishing
• wilting
• withering
• wasting (away)
• relapse

mending

2 of 3

adjective

as in recovering

Related Words

• recovering
• better
• improved
• recuperating
• cured
• convalescing
• rehabilitated
• hardy
• stalwart
• robust
• hearty
• lusty
• tough
• able-bodied
• bouncing
• healthful
• flourishing
• well
• fit
• whole
• strong
• conditioned
• wholesome
• blooming
• thriving
• chipper
• rugged
• healthy
• sound
• hale
• well-conditioned
• flush

Dissimilar Words

• ill
• ailing
• sick
• poorly
• down
• bad
• unsound
• unhealthy
• indisposed
• unwell
• punk
• peaked
• symptomatic
• sickened
• peaky
• run-down
• lousy
• seedy
• sickish
• cruddy

mending

3 of 3

verb

present participle of mend

1

as in repairing

to put into good shape or working order again

that shirt will be as good as new when I'm finished mending it

Synonyms & Similar Words

• repairing
• fixing
• rebuilding
• reconstructing
• patching
• overhauling
• restoring
• renovating
• reconditioning
• revamping
• adjusting
• doctoring
• renewing
• modifying
• improving
• maintaining
• helping
• preparing
• healing
• refurbishing
• curing
• aiding
• regenerating
• servicing
• refreshing
• reviving
• conditioning
• furbishing
• fixing up
• rectifying
• readying
• righting
• redressing
• reforming
• revitalizing
• correcting
• rejuvenating
• freshening
• enhancing
• ameliorating
• bettering
• enriching
• caring (for)
• refreshening
• meliorating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breaking
• hurting
• wrecking
• damaging
• injuring
• ruining
• impairing
• harming
• spoiling
• disfiguring
• defacing
• marring
• disabling
• crippling
• vandalizing
• mutilating
• blemishing
• flawing
• maiming
• mangling

2

as in healing

to become healthy and strong again after illness or weakness

she's mending after a particularly nasty bout of the flu

Synonyms & Similar Words

• recovering
• healing
• improving
• recuperating
• convalescing
• recouping
• coming back
• rallying
• gaining
• reviving
• pulling round
• snapping back
• surviving
• coming to
• coming around
• coming round
• cheering (up)
• recruiting
• picking up
• perking (up)
• pulling through

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ailing
• coming down
• collapsing
• failing
• deteriorating
• weakening
• declining
• worsening
• sinking
• fading
• wasting (away)
• languishing
• degenerating
• sickening
• withering
• relapsing
• wilting
• regressing

3

as in rehabilitating

to restore to a healthy condition

mended the broken plant so that it was soon thriving again

Synonyms & Similar Words

• healing
• rehabilitating
• fixing
• curing
• repairing
• treating
• reviving
• relieving
• rehabbing
• setting up
• alleviating
• attending (to)
• renewing
• ministering (to)
• revitalizing
• rejuvenating
• nursing
• fortifying
• remedying
• doctoring
• medicating
• caring (for)
• physicking
• resuscitating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• hurting
• damaging
• injuring
• disabling
• impairing
• crippling
• wounding
• harming
• mutilating
• ailing
• weakening
• wasting
• maiming
• lacerating
• mangling
• laming
• afflicting
• debilitating
• sapping
• enervating
• laying up
• sickening
• enfeebling

4

as in compensating

to make up for (an offense)

the proverb "least said, soonest mended" should be heeded by anyone tempted to angrily blurt out things they really don't mean

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compensating
• repaying
• redeeming
• correcting
• expiating
• amending
• making amends for
• atoning (for)
• rectifying
• making good for
• reimbursing
• redressing
• remunerating
• recompensing
• propitiating

5

as in improving

to change one's behavior or character for the better

everyone's written her off as a liar and a thief, but I say it's never too late to mend

Synonyms & Similar Words

• improving
• amending
• behaving
• reforming
• shaping up
• regenerating
• straightening (up or out)
• cleaning up one's act
• bettering

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• regressing
• backsliding

6

as in curing

to bring about recovery from

the old adage that only time can mend a broken heart

Synonyms & Similar Words

• healing
• curing
• alleviating
• remedying
• relieving
• soothing
• easing
• treating
• allaying
• lightening
• salving
• tempering
• moderating
• diagnosing
• assuaging
• palliating
• doctoring
• nursing
• medicating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• worsening
• aggravating
• misdiagnosing
• overdiagnosing
• underdiagnosing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mending

Noun

Invisible mending The clothing mending most people are familiar with is an invisible mend. — The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 July 2026

Jacob Elordi may have made visible mending look cute on the big screen. — Michele Promaulayko, Allure, 17 June 2026

Simply tossing all your clothes into the washer can sometimes result in damaged garments that require replacements or mending. — Wendy Rose Gould, Martha Stewart, 30 Apr. 2026

If a piece is salvageable and needs some mending or a powerful stain remover, set it aside and make a plan to attend to it. — Tessa Cooper, The Spruce, 16 Apr. 2026

While the company’s humble beginnings began as a simple mending solution, Vivolo believes the future of trims will be about integration between craftsmanship and technology. — Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2026

Family ties may need some mending, and once they’ve been handled, those bonds could be immensely helpful. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2026

Visitors can try their hand at skills such as block printing, moss wall art, and Japanese sashiko mending. — Kathryn Romeyn, Travel + Leisure, 21 Jan. 2026

Sometimes our brains need something completely different to concentrate on while our hearts do their mending. — Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025

Verb

Bit by bit—which is the way with walls—my interest and knowledge deepened until what had begun as recreation morphed into a hobby job, mending other people’s walls. — Matt Seaton, The Atlantic, 19 July 2026

In fact, so far, all Joe has done is put his head down, commit to mending his relationship with Nathan, and work hard to earn his position as lead deckhand. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 7 July 2026

Cooking and preparing food, spinning and weaving cloth, washing and mending clothes, and caring for the sick were just some of the kinds of labor that supported the fledgling nation. — Carolyn Zola, The Conversation, 11 June 2026

Dirty or dusty flags can be washed or dry cleaned, and there are no provisions against mending or repairing a flag, according to the American Legion. — Darleene Powells, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026

Tager explained that the process involved mending the canvas, then treating the layers of paint to ensure that the damage was undetectable. — News Desk, Artforum, 9 June 2026

The president’s latest barbs came just days before Secretary of State Marco Rubio traveled to the Vatican for a fence-mending visit. — Claire Malon, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026

Here Hathaway plays a pop star in crisis, busy mending her relationship with her former costume designer and best friend, played by Michaela Coel, on the eve of a comeback that doesn’t exactly promise levity. — Maddalena Gomez, Vanity Fair, 27 Apr. 2026

Meyers said Thursday that mending the relationship between the school and households will be important, but that there is only so much that can be done. — Samuel O’Neal April 23, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2026