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

The Aggies' leading tackler, Harrison Taggart, was taken off in an ambulance in the first half after sustaining what appeared to be a head injury. — ABC News, 19 Sep. 2026

Two adults were injured, and 16 children were hurt, with one child sustaining serious injuries and being airlifted from the crash to Birmingham, Ala. — Charna Flam, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2026

The ministry said sustaining Japan's social security system will become increasingly important as the population continues to age. — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 17 Sep. 2026

All this said, the risks of sustaining the current pressure indefinitely are immense. — Will Freeman, Foreign Affairs, 17 Sep. 2026

Captain Aleksander Barkov missed the entire campaign after sustaining a major right knee injury a half hour into his first training camp session. — Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 16 Sep. 2026

There was no French fleet coming to Washington’s rescue, no French gold sustaining his army, and no alliance recognizing the fledgling nation. — Harry Ostrer, New York Daily News, 16 Sep. 2026

But the agreement marks a significant expansion of the F100 industrial base and gives Hermeus a new role in sustaining one of America’s longest-serving fighter engine families. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Sep. 2026

Last year at the Venice Film Festival, Italy’s Fondazione Prada officially launched its film fund, aimed at sustaining independent cinema from around the world without any restrictions on theme, genre or language. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026