Synonyms of mothering

mothering 1 of 2

noun

as in motherhood

Related Words

• motherhood
• maternity
• fatherhood
• paternity
• caregiving
• fathering
• parenting
• rearing
• caretaking
• upbringing
• parenthood
• raising

mothering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of mother

1

as in having

to bring forth from the womb

I hope to mother at least one child

Synonyms & Similar Words

• having
• producing
• delivering
• birthing
• giving birth to
• bearing
• breeding
• fathering
• laboring
• reproducing
• dropping
• spawning
• getting
• generating
• propagating
• multiplying
• siring
• begetting
• whelping
• calving
• kindling
• kidding
• pupping
• littering
• kittening

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• losing
• aborting
• miscarrying

2

as in nursing

to attend to the needs and comforts of

mothered the patients with chicken soup

Synonyms & Similar Words

• nursing
• healing
• treating
• administering (to)
• ministering (to)
• looking after
• looking out for
• supporting
• looking to
• doing for
• waiting on
• seeing to
• taking care of
• caring (for)
• aiding
• curing
• preserving
• remedying
• conserving
• spoiling
• providing (for)
• pampering
• doctoring
• babying
• coddling
• catering (to)
• indulging
• mollycoddling
• humoring

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ignoring
• neglecting
• forgetting
• overlooking
• brushing (aside or off)
• slighting

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of mothering

Noun

Suzanne O’Donnell, an accomplished regional theater actor with a lot of Shakespeare on her resume, plays Penrose as both a warm mothering figure to these two occasionally babyish men but does not downplay the character’s pragmatic side. —Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 21 Apr. 2026

For almost a century, since the dawn of mass screen entertainment, society has passed through waves of panic over media’s effects on children, which have often coincided with panics over the effects of various kinds of mothering. —Jean Garnett, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2026

In response to the mothering of a sister, a brother has options—resist, lash out, put up with it, become utterly dependent on it. —Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026

Around the eleventh century, in Anglo‑Saxon England, instructions for an elaborate childbearing and mothering ritual were recorded by monks in the Lacnunga, a collection of medical texts and curative prayers. —Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

Kate had changed her hair into a stylish bob — but apparently hadn’t updated her mothering skills — two years later when, in the sequel, Kevin again was discovered missing, at the Miami airport. —Jocelyn Noveck, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026

Born in Switzerland in 1924, Yo lived life on her own terms, defying expectations around sexuality, mothering, aging, and even death. —Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Jan. 2026

But still, Fernandez’s mothering instinct told her something was very wrong. —Luis Pascal, Miami Herald, 28 Nov. 2025

Over half of my years of mothering have been as a single mom. —Stephanie Land, Time, 30 Oct. 2025

Verb

Somehow mothering four children, leading a massive pop resurgence, and still making time for a fun night with her girlfriends for a glass of wine (or seven). —Edward Segarra, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

Key strands of the film are about mothering with laser focus on the parents played by Okonedo and Mallen. —Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026

Really, the album is about tiring of mothering men who are great in bed but lack crucial social skills. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025

And as the following selections from the archives of The Christian Science Publishing Society show, prayer can bring out more of how God is mothering, comforting, and preserving us right here and now. —The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 8 May 2025