Synonyms of tending

tending 1 of 3

adjective

as in prone

having a tendency to be or act in a certain way

people tending toward daily exercise will significantly reduce their risk of cardiac arrest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• prone
• inclined
• willing
• apt
• choosing
• preferring
• liable
• given
• minded
• disposed
• likely
• predisposed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• unwilling
• averse
• loath
• indisposed
• disinclined

tending

2 of 3

verb (1)

present participle of tend

as in leaning

to show a liking or proneness (for something)

her wardrobe tends toward dark colors and heavy fabrics

Synonyms & Similar Words

• leaning
• inclining
• going
• running
• trending
• pointing
• gravitating
• suggesting
• indicating

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• avoiding
• shunning
• shying (from or away from)

tending

3 of 3

verb (2)

present participle of tend

1

as in supervising

to take charge of especially on behalf of another

tend the store while I run an errand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supervising
• watching
• overseeing
• managing
• attending
• guarding
• superintending
• protecting
• controlling
• operating
• minding
• running
• guiding
• looking after
• conducting
• governing
• regulating
• seeing to
• caring (for)
• taking care of
• directing
• patrolling
• seeing after
• safeguarding
• shielding
• administrating
• presiding (over)
• shepherding
• stewarding
• babying
• babysitting
• mothering
• chaperoning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• neglecting
• forgetting
• abandoning
• disregarding
• passing over

2

as in growing

to look after or assist the growth of by labor and care

lately I haven't been doing a good job of tending my garden

Synonyms & Similar Words

• growing
• cultivating
• producing
• planting
• promoting
• harvesting
• raising
• cropping
• rearing
• dressing
• breeding
• propagating
• culturing
• sowing
• sprouting
• gathering
• ripening
• rooting
• reaping
• quickening
• germinating
• gleaning

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• killing
• picking
• digging
• plucking
• pulling (up)
• cutting
• uprooting
• mowing
• extirpating
• haying

3

as in cultivating

to work by plowing, sowing, and raising crops on

plots that during the war were tended by city dwellers as vegetable gardens

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cultivating
• planting
• farming
• harvesting
• tilling
• cropping
• reaping
• hoeing
• harrowing
• sharecropping

4

as in managing

to look after and make decisions about

the dying patriarch wondered who would tend the family business after he was gone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• supervising
• managing
• overseeing
• operating
• controlling
• regulating
• handling
• conducting
• running
• governing
• keeping
• directing
• guiding
• administering
• superintending
• protecting
• administrating
• overlooking
• watching
• stewarding
• presiding (over)
• carrying on
• leading
• watching over
• guarding
• steering
• minding
• safeguarding
• piloting
• caring (for)
• micromanaging
• stage-managing
• codirecting
• comanaging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of tending

Verb

Her duties include reading slush-pile submissions, making coffee, and tending to the needs of high-profile guests during Platen’s many exclusive fêtes. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 26 Aug. 2026

The shepherd’s rod and staff, tools used in tending and protecting sheep, reinforce the sense of security. — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026

For someone working a typical weekday, Freebairn suggests feeding the starter before bed, mixing the dough over morning coffee and tending to it while the kids are having breakfast. — Peter Burke, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026

Billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg and Alexis Ohanian have effectively dubbed themselves amateur yeoman, putting the ultrarichs’ hobby of tending to the land in the spotlight. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 23 Aug. 2026

Cultivating tradition Hours down a narrow, mountainous footpath, Reynalda García Juárez is tending to those roots, quite literally. — Alfredo Sosa, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Aug. 2026

Glacier National Park rangers had been tending to Ken when a Two Bear Air Rescue helicopter arrived. — Adam England, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026

Sam was always at the store, or otherwise in the garden with Mymonie, tending to violets, chickpeas, and peppery leaves. — Rozina Ali, New Yorker, 21 Aug. 2026

Mason-Clark is a danger man, tending to lurk at the back post. — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026