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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in recovering
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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3
as in rehabilitating
to restore to a healthy condition
mended the broken plant so that it was soon thriving again
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
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6
as in curing
to bring about recovery from
the old adage that only time can mend a broken heart
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mending
Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
Their relationship definitely needs mending.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping took a step toward mending the long-fractured ties between their countries last month with a meeting at the Asia-Pacific summit.
—Rob Gillies, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025
When paired with the Grimmerie translation key available on the film's Universal site, the spell is revealed to be an incantation for soothing and mending pain and fear.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Nov. 2025
Earlier this month, the brand launched a denim repair and mending program at its Williamsburg, Brooklyn, store, running over the next three months and aiming to promote circularity.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
Some Aquarians might be finalizing a move, mending family dynamics, or finally releasing emotional weight that’s been stored deep in the body.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 2 Nov. 2025
In his photographs of young men of the RAF, Beaton finds a slight homoerotic lens — there’s men sharing cigarettes, bunked together in the trenches and mending clothes on a sewing machine.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
Many of those hearts are back, still mending from the grief.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
Harry's best chance of mending the rift lies in him putting past disagreements behind him and focusing purely on his bond with Charles.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Noun
Sometimes our brains need something completely different to concentrate on while our hearts do their mending.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
Their relationship definitely needs mending.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
Economic leaders, especially in the American Chambers of Commerce and the National Association of Entrepreneurs of Colombia, have made clear their interest in mending ties between the two countries.
—Kevin Whitaker, Foreign Affairs, 15 Dec. 2025
Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping took a step toward mending the long-fractured ties between their countries last month with a meeting at the Asia-Pacific summit.
—Rob Gillies, Fortune, 26 Nov. 2025
When paired with the Grimmerie translation key available on the film's Universal site, the spell is revealed to be an incantation for soothing and mending pain and fear.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Nov. 2025
Earlier this month, the brand launched a denim repair and mending program at its Williamsburg, Brooklyn, store, running over the next three months and aiming to promote circularity.
—Jennifer Bringle, Sourcing Journal, 21 Nov. 2025
Some Aquarians might be finalizing a move, mending family dynamics, or finally releasing emotional weight that’s been stored deep in the body.
—Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 2 Nov. 2025
In his photographs of young men of the RAF, Beaton finds a slight homoerotic lens — there’s men sharing cigarettes, bunked together in the trenches and mending clothes on a sewing machine.
—Hikmat Mohammed, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2025
Many of those hearts are back, still mending from the grief.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Oct. 2025
Harry's best chance of mending the rift lies in him putting past disagreements behind him and focusing purely on his bond with Charles.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mending
Noun
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The property, built in 1964, has had minimal upgrades since construction and requires substantial rehabilitation, according to Rodriguez.—
Walker Armstrong,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Wolves of Wiltshire — a small exotic animal charity based in Wiltshire — stepped in to help with the rehabilitation of the wolf-like dogs with help from 8 Below Husky Rescue.—
Desiree Anello,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Plus, its 3-hour battery life means less charging, and more recovering.—
Talene Appleton,
Men's Health,
31 Jan. 2023
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She was taken to a hospital with punctures and lacerations and is stable and recovering.—
San Diego Union-Tribune,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Nov. 2022
Verb
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Crews are also repairing roads in Topanga Canyon after the fire and ensuing rain damaged them and closed the community to outside traffic.—
CBS LA Staff,
CBS News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
While generations of Chastain families kept struggling as farmers, their new family business of selling farm machinery and repairing silos did very well.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The post came as Princess Kate shared a personal video on Instagram about healing through nature on her special day.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
9 Jan. 2026
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Coming together with others was healing for Angela, after seeing the video of an ICE officer fatally shooting a woman in Minneapolis.—
Andrea Nakano,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Grant Williams has played in the last two games, making his season debut after spending the past 14 months rehabilitating a torn right ACL.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
13 Jan. 2026
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That included $100 million for new disease-resistant trees, grove management, therapeutic tools and rehabilitating existing trees.—
Jim Turner,
Sun Sentinel,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
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If the department has a plan to increase services — say, by ensuring at least one hospital in a region is equipped to deliver babies — that would be a different story, but the state would have to have some way of compensating hospitals taking on unprofitable services, Stansbury said.—
Meg Wingerter,
Denver Post,
11 Jan. 2026
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The Bureau of Prisons ultimately settled the lawsuit, compensating almost 1,600 inmates with a total of approximately $10 million for enduring frigid and inhumane conditions because of the power outage.—
Alisha Ebrahimji,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Corporate use cases include employee well-being programs aimed at reducing burnout and improving focus.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Lazzarini was in Turkey for talks with officials on improving humanitarian access in Gaza.—
Wafaa Shurafa,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Minor differences in temperature won't have a drastic effect on the results of your interior painting project, but significantly high or low temperatures can impact the quality of the finish or may even prevent the paint from curing correctly.—
Timothy Dale,
The Spruce,
6 Jan. 2026
-
These varieties should be stored as-is without the curing process.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mending. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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