Meaning & use
mothering
Last updated
The act of caring for and nurturing someone in the manner of a mother, sometimes implying excessive protectiveness.
See it in a sentence
Her constant mothering left him little room to make his own decisions.
The volunteers offer mothering support to first-time parents in the community.
A note on using this word
Used as a verb form, "mothering" can be a warm compliment or, when overdone, a gentle criticism of being overprotective.
Words with a similar meaning
nurturingcoddling
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mothering”, then compare your use with the examples above.
Your draft stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.