Synonyms of nursed

nursed

verb

past tense of nurse

1

as in healed

to attend to the needs and comforts of

willingly lent a hand to nurse his grandmother in her final years, helping her get from one room to the other and making sure she was warm

Synonyms & Similar Words

• healed
• treated
• mothered
• administered (to)
• ministered (to)
• looked after
• saw to
• aided
• supported
• looked to
• waited on
• did for
• cured
• cared (for)
• looked out for
• preserved
• took care of
• spoiled
• remedied
• conserved
• doctored
• provided (for)
• coddled
• pampered
• babied
• indulged
• humored
• catered (to)
• mollycoddled

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignored
• neglected
• forgot
• overlooked
• slighted
• brushed (aside or off)

2

as in suckled

to give milk to from the breast

a new mother's decision to nurse her baby

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suckled
• breast-fed
• bottle-fed
• wet-nursed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• weaned

3

as in had

to keep in one's mind or heart

he continues to nurse a tender affection for his first girlfriend

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

4

as in spoiled

to treat with great or excessive care

nursed his sprained ankle for the rest of the week

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spoiled
• indulged
• babied
• dandled
• mothered
• pampered
• coddled
• pleased
• cosseted
• appeased
• satisfied
• mollycoddled
• cockered
• wet-nursed
• delighted
• humored
• catered (to)
• contented
• soothed
• obliged
• placated
• gratified
• gladdened
• mollified
• pacified

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abused
• controlled
• mistreated
• restrained
• misused
• disciplined
• oppressed
• maltreated
• neglected
• manhandled
• ill-treated
• mishandled
• violated
• injured
• hurt
• ill-used
• molested
• overlooked
• slighted
• tortured
• tormented
• harmed
• harassed
• outraged
• victimized
• persecuted

5

as in raised

to bring to maturity through care and education

as foster parents they accepted and nursed 16 needy children over the years

Synonyms & Similar Words

• raised
• fostered
• nurtured
• bred
• reared
• fed
• taught
• nourished
• watched
• brought up
• promoted
• educated
• cultivated
• fathered
• cradled
• attended
• mothered
• trained
• instructed
• supplied
• schooled
• provided (for)
• disciplined
• led
• enlightened
• prepared
• tutored
• mentored
• ministered (to)
• forwarded
• guided
• cared (for)
• showed
• indoctrinated
• edified
• furthered
• directed
• shepherded
• minded
• advanced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abused
• mistreated
• ignored
• maltreated
• neglected
• mishandled
• injured
• hurt
• ill-treated
• harmed
• ill-used

6

as in cultivated

to help the growth or development of

her teachers did much to nurse her literary talent

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cultivated
• encouraged
• promoted
• nurtured
• fostered
• nourished
• incubated
• forwarded
• furthered
• advanced
• advocated
• assisted
• championed
• supported
• endorsed
• financed
• funded
• backed
• aided
• upheld
• patronized
• staked
• endowed
• subsidized
• worked (for)
• advertised
• abetted
• publicized
• plugged
• boosted
• touted
• underwrote
• agitated (for)
• campaigned (for)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• prevented
• hindered
• discouraged
• frustrated
• inhibited
• fought
• opposed
• prohibited
• barred
• forbade
• enjoined
• proscribed
• outlawed
• countered
• banned
• battled
• suppressed
• contended (with)
• checked
• repressed
• arrested
• stifled
• subdued
• halted
• combated
• retarded
• interdicted
• interfered (with)
• hobbled
• impeded
• squashed
• obstructed
• encumbered
• squelched
• snuffed (out)
• shackled
• fettered
• manacled

7

as in spared

to use or give out in stingy amounts

he carefully nursed his energy during the marathon so that he would have something left for the final stretch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• spared
• preserved
• conserved
• scanted
• skimped (on)
• doled out
• stinted (on)
• meted (out)
• shortchanged
• rationed (out)
• pinched
• portioned (out)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• poured
• showered
• rained
• heaped
• lavished

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of nursed

A lot of that production came while Nikola Jokić nursed a knee injury. — Zach Harper, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026

Dima was famished and weak, and Zayarnaya nursed him back to health. — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026

DeMarvion Overshown has handled the bulk of the responsibilities during training camp, while rookie Jaishawn Barham received the green dot while Overshown nursed a sore lower body on Tuesday. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2026

There were doubts and questions about whether they could be nursed back to health. — J.d. Miles, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2026

Her eldest son moved in during the pandemic and nursed the orchard’s last remaining tree back to health. — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 30 July 2026

Rescued by Tamijuddin, a Muslim friend of her father’s, the adolescent Sutara is nursed back to health by his family before being escorted safely to her brothers in Calcutta. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 29 July 2026

More intimately, the French theorists nursed grand ambitions and old wounds. — Emily Eakin, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026

Zookeepers nursed him and gave him the toy to develop his gripping ability, something newborn macaques need to survive. — ABC News, 25 July 2026