nourishment

noun

nour·​ish·​ment ˈnər-ish-mənt 

ˈnə-rish-

1

a

: food, nutriment

b

: sustenance sense 3

books for intellectual nourishment

2

: the act of nourishing : the state of being nourished

Synonyms

• aliment
• food
• pabulum
• sustenance

Examples of nourishment in a Sentence

These children are suffering because they lack proper nourishment.

Soil provides nourishment to plants.

Recent Examples on the Web

The gastrointestinal side effects associated with the drugs, which lead to nausea and vomiting, can further diminish people’s desire to eat and get the nourishment they—and their hair cells—need. —Alice Park, TIME, 17 Mar. 2025

But most people were not under the care of a private physician, and tuberculosis surveillance was a way to ensure that the largely immigrant poor living in the tenement districts got referrals to clinics, nourishment and, if necessary, isolation. —Amy Lauren Fairchild, The Conversation, 11 Mar. 2025

The panic and dread of searching for nourishment and finding none is transformed into an airy nothing: a fake story about the nonexistent dearth of a plant that has relatively little nutritional value, and a charade of great distress. —Fintan O'Toole, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025

In her life, as in countless households across the globe, the kitchen is a hub, not just for nourishment, but for community. —Jessica Ourisman, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for nourishment

• undernourishment

Kids Definition

nourishment

noun

nour·​ish·​ment ˈnər-ish-mənt 

ˈnə-rish-

1

: something that nourishes : food, nutriment

2

: the act of nourishing : the state of being nourished

Medical Definition

nourishment

noun

nour·​ish·​ment ˈnər-ish-mənt, ˈnə-rish- 

1

: food sense 1, nutriment

2

: the act of nourishing or the state of being nourished