Synonyms of sustaining

sustaining 1 of 2

noun

as in support

Related Words

• support
• preserving
• maintenance
• custody
• guardianship
• preservation
• keep
• conservation
• upkeep
• conservancy
• safeguarding
• care
• conserving
• protection
• guarding
• defense
• safekeeping
• sustentation
• care and feeding

Dissimilar Words

• ignoring
• negligence
• neglect
• disregard
• injury
• destruction
• harm
• damage
• inattention
• hurt
• demolition
• ruin
• dereliction
• ruination

sustaining

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sustain

1

as in nurturing

to supply with nourishment

a granola bar should sustain you long enough to last until lunch

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nurturing
• satisfying
• feeding
• nourishing
• filling
• replenishing
• strengthening
• suckling
• fortifying
• satiating
• catering
• sating
• nursing
• provisioning
• boarding
• cloying
• surfeiting
• victualing

2

as in experiencing

to come to a knowledge of (something) by living through it

sustained serious injuries in the car crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

• experiencing
• undergoing
• enduring
• having
• seeing
• knowing
• feeling
• suffering
• witnessing
• receiving
• passing
• going through
• tasting
• encountering
• accepting
• meeting
• assimilating
• digesting

3

as in enduring

to put up with (something painful or difficult)

I won't sustain such insolence!

Synonyms & Similar Words

• enduring
• tolerating
• standing
• handling
• accepting
• taking
• bearing
• absorbing
• supporting
• stomaching
• swallowing
• abiding
• meeting
• wearing
• living with
• sticking out
• hacking
• countenancing
• pocketing
• standing for
• biding
• lumping (it)
• going
• suffering
• brooking
• sweating out
• permitting
• allowing
• toughing it out
• respecting
• reconciling (to)
• acquiescing
• submitting (to)
• yielding (to)
• consenting (to)
• agreeing (with or to)
• assenting (to)
• capitulating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• declining
• refusing
• rejecting
• dismissing
• fighting
• opposing
• resisting
• combating
• repudiating
• avoiding
• contesting
• turning down
• missing
• escaping
• evading
• spurning
• bypassing
• eluding
• circumventing
• dodging
• refraining (from)
• abstaining (from)
• forbearing

4

as in supporting

to hold up or serve as a foundation for

that old chair won't sustain your weight

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supporting
• carrying
• bolstering
• upholding
• staying
• underpinning
• bracing
• buttressing
• bearing
• undergirding
• underlying
• propping (up)
• shoring (up)
• steadying
• trussing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of sustaining

Noun

About 40 birds were released in phases between 2021 and 2023, and scientists now say the population is showing signs of becoming self-sustaining. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 28 July 2026

Fiercely protective of their culture, and almost uniquely self-sustaining within the wider UK dance-music scene, jungle and drum’n’bass have long tended to exist in their own siloed enclave. — Will Pritchard, Pitchfork, 20 July 2026

These molecules could serve as the building blocks of more complex organic molecules, which are vital in the development and sustaining of life. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 6 Feb. 2026

Verb

Still, the Sky have not earned a reputation for sustaining a system from year to year — and the status of the remaining roster does not lend itself to a building process for the Sky. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 25 Aug. 2026

Trey Moore, who had emerged as a front-runner to start at linebacker for the Dolphins, will be out awhile after sustaining an ankle injury during Saturday’s 26-3 preseason loss to the Giants. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 23 Aug. 2026

Beyond giving Russia a foothold and a warm-water port, these bases were also vital for sustaining and resupplying its military and paramilitary operations in Africa. — Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026

There are currently 17 albums in the Squeeze catalogue, including the one from 1984 credited not to Squeeze as a band but to the two key sustaining members and main songwriters, Tilbrook and Chris Difford. — Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026

Andy Pages leans toward hand surgery after sustaining a fracture Friday against the Pirates. — Joaquin Ruiz, Los Angeles Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Wide receivers Tutu Atwell and AJ Henning were suited up after sustaining injury scares at the joint session. — David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026

Kurtis Rourke did not play after sustaining fractured ribs in last Thursday’s start. — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 21 Aug. 2026

Beijing’s enforcement, although real, is selective and partial because elements of the illicit economy serve the country’s larger strategic goals, such as sustaining trade with Russia while maintaining distance from the war in Ukraine. — Alvin Camba, Foreign Affairs, 21 Aug. 2026