sustenance

noun

sus·​te·​nance ˈsə-stə-nən(t)s 

1

a

: means of support, maintenance, or subsistence : living

b

: food, provisions

also : nourishment

2

a

: the act of sustaining : the state of being sustained

b

: a supplying or being supplied with the necessaries of life

3

: something that gives support, endurance, or strength

Synonyms

• aliment
• food
• nourishment
• pabulum

Examples of sustenance in a Sentence

Tree bark provides deer with sustenance in periods of drought.

The village depends on the sea for sustenance.

She draws spiritual sustenance from daily church attendance.

Recent Examples on the Web

In recent decades, as the lake shrank and grew saltier than the ocean, nearly all the fish have died and the migratory birds that relied on them for sustenance have become scarce. —Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024

Living in poverty, the same Dalits often stripped down and ate those deceased animals for sustenance. —Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 15 Dec. 2024

And vegans are ethical bottom feeders compared with fruitarians, who don’t even kill plants for their sustenance. —David G. Allan, CNN, 27 Nov. 2024

The disaster soon sees the high schoolers hunting each other for sustenance and sport in the punishing Canadian wilderness as their animalistic instincts (and maybe something even more sinister??) takes over. —Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 19 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from sustenir

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

sustenance

noun

sus·​te·​nance ˈsəs-tə-nən(t)s 

1

a

: means of support, maintenance, or existence

b

: nourishment sense 1

2

: the act of sustaining : the state of being sustained

especially : a supplying with the necessities of life

3

: something that gives support, help, or strength