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
Relevance
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
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rehabilitating
to restore to a healthy condition
mended the broken plant so that it was soon thriving again
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in curing
to bring about recovery from
the old adage that only time can mend a broken heart
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 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
Their relationship definitely needs mending.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 13 May 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
Feeding the needy and mending cultural divides over the course of 24 hours is a tall order.
—Monique John, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Many of you will agree, and that will go a long way in mending the rift in this country.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
Fiery Mars leaps into a supportive sextile to healing Chiron, encouraging us to make the first move in mending strained bonds of any type.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
Hanceville’s new mayor was tasked with mending that alliance.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
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
Their relationship definitely needs mending.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Verb
Around the same time as the engagement photo shoots, the brides-to-be start mending their porcelain plates, which were ceremoniously shattered so the brides-to-be could mend them.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 13 May 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
Feeding the needy and mending cultural divides over the course of 24 hours is a tall order.
—Monique John, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
Many of you will agree, and that will go a long way in mending the rift in this country.
—Letters To The Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 Feb. 2026
Fiery Mars leaps into a supportive sextile to healing Chiron, encouraging us to make the first move in mending strained bonds of any type.
—Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 22 Feb. 2026
Hanceville’s new mayor was tasked with mending that alliance.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mending
Noun
-
Top level facility for severe disabilities The institution also operates as a specialized hospital for severe disabilities, with expertise in prosthetics and rehabilitation.—
Sylvie Corbet,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
-
Critical rehabilitation work has begun on about 1 ½ miles of sanitary sewer pipe in Macomb County, Michigan, after utility crews found severe degradation in the line.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Plus, its 3-hour battery life means less charging, and more recovering.—
Talene Appleton,
Men's Health,
31 Jan. 2023
-
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
-
But repairing one's image is easier said than done.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
16 May 2026
-
The proliferation of unmanned systems has definitely impacted the venerability of the traditional military platforms as well as their housing and repairing facilities.—
Aditya Jadhav,
Interesting Engineering,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The crowning achievement of that run was the 2016 victory with the Cavs over the Golden State Warriors, healing all those wounds from his 2010 departure with one magical comeback over one of the greatest teams in league history.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
12 May 2026
-
Most importantly, these conversations can become part of healing generational cycles.—
Essence,
Essence,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The project includes replacing and rehabilitating drainage culverts beneath the highway to help preserve the roadbed and reduce flooding.—
Madison Smalstig,
Sacbee.com,
10 May 2026
-
Diagnosed with a left shoulder subluxation, Miller missed 13 games while rehabilitating the injury.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Dua Lipa has filed a $15 million lawsuit against Samsung, accusing the electronics company of using her likeness to sell TVs without her permission or compensating her.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
10 May 2026
-
Annabelle Gordon | Reuters Lower-income consumers are compensating for higher gas prices by buying less while those in higher-income brackets haven't changed their behavior much at all despite soaring costs, according to research released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve of New York.—
Jeff Cox,
CNBC,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
The new commissioner faces the daunting task of improving the existing jail while planning for a world without it.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
It was built for static products like imaging algorithms, not for adaptive systems that keep improving.—
Alon Bergman,
STAT,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
That could go a long way in curing this.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
10 May 2026
-
Each November, the family picks olives from the grove, pitting and curing their harvest.—
Nick Mafi,
Architectural Digest,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mending.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mending. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
