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

Kelsey Peterson is a writer, dancer, and podcaster in Wisconsin who uses a wheelchair since sustaining a spinal cord injury in 2012 that left her paralyzed her from her chest down. — Maribeth Romslo, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026

But the biggest talk of Missouri’s offense was Ahmad Hardy’s season debut after sustaining a gunshot wound in May. — Pj Green november 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Nov. 2026

Nearly all presidents of both parties since 1923 have described libraries, whether public, academic or presidential, as a prerequisite to a healthy democracy and as crucial to sustaining an informed citizenry. — Alex H. Poole, The Conversation, 30 Oct. 2026

Israeli assets have come under pressure this week with the shekel sustaining the worst intraday decline since 2023 on Wednesday before regaining ground. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2026

For Al Mahmood, however, much of the UAE’s film infrastructure remains geared toward attracting international productions rather than sustaining local filmmakers. — Essie Assibu, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026

An 8-year-old girl has been hospitalized after sustaining serious injuries in a wolf attack inside a German zoo’s enclosure. — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 29 Oct. 2026

There was no definitive update on forwawrd Jonah Gadjovich, who hasn’t played yet this season and only played 10 games last season before sustaining a neck injury. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026

Rutgers starting quarterback Dylan Lonergan left after sustaining a blow to the head 6 minutes, 25 seconds into the first quarter and didn’t return. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026