nurse

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of NURSE

to attend to the needs and comforts of <willingly lent a hand to nurse his grandmother in her final years, helping her get from one room to the other and making sure she was warm>

Synonyms administer (to), care (for), minister (to), mother

Related Words cure, heal, remedy; doctor, treat; aid, conserve, preserve, provide (for), support; baby, coddle, mollycoddle, pamper, spoil; cater (to), humor; indulge

Phrases do for [chiefly British], look after, look out for, look to, see to, take care of, wait on (also wait upon)

Near Antonyms brush (aside or off), forget, ignore, neglect, overlook, slight

to give milk to from the breast <a new mother's decision to nurse her baby>

Synonyms breast-feed, suckle, wet-nurse

Related Words bottle-feed

Near Antonyms wean

to keep in one's mind or heart <he continues to nurse a tender affection for his first girlfriend>

Synonyms bear, cherish, entertain, have, hold, nurse

Related Words cultivate, foster, nurture, support, sustain; carry, keep, maintain, preserve, remember, retain, treasure; cleave (to), cling (to), hug, stick (to); brood (about or over), fixate (on or upon), obsess (about or over)

Near Antonyms disregard, drop, forget, ignore, neglect, overlook; abjure, decline, deny, disdain, refuse, reject, repudiate, scorn; abandon, desert, discard, forsake, give up, part (with), quit, renounce, throw out; erase, expunge

to treat with great or excessive care <nursed his sprained ankle for the rest of the week>

Synonyms cocker, coddle, cosset, dandle, indulge, mollycoddle, nurse, pamper, spoil, wet-nurse

Related Words cater (to), humor; content, delight, gladden, gratify, mother, oblige, please, satisfy; appease, mollify, pacify, placate, soothe

Near Antonyms control, discipline, restrain; oppress; neglect, overlook, slight; molest, outrage, violate; harass, harm, hurt, injure, oppress, persecute, torment, torture, victimize

Antonyms abuse, ill-treat, ill-use, maltreat, manhandle, mishandle, mistreat, misuse

to bring to maturity through care and education <as foster parents they accepted and nursed 16 needy children over the years>

Synonyms breed, foster, nourish, nurse, raise, rear

Related Words father, mother; attend, care (for), cradle, cultivate, mind, minister (to), nurture, watch; discipline, educate, instruct, mentor, school, teach, train, tutor; edify, enlighten, indoctrinate; feed, provide (for), supply; advance, forward, further, promote; prepare; direct, guide, lead, shepherd, show

Near Antonyms abuse, ill-treat, ill-use, maltreat, mishandle, mistreat; ignore, neglect; harm, hurt, injure

to help the growth or development of <her teachers did much to nurse her literary talent>

Synonyms advance, cultivate, encourage, forward, further, incubate, nourish, nurse, nurture, promote

Related Words advocate, back, champion, endorse (also indorse), support, uphold; endow, finance, fund, patronize, stake, subsidize, underwrite; abet, aid, assist; advertise, boost, plug, publicize, tout; agitate (for), campaign (for), work (for)

Near Antonyms ban, bar, enjoin, forbid, interdict, outlaw, prevent, prohibit, proscribe; battle, combat, contend (with), counter, fight, oppose; repress, snuff (out), squash, squelch, stifle, subdue, suppress; arrest, check, halt, retard; encumber, fetter, hobble, impede, interfere (with), manacle, obstruct, shackle

Antonyms discourage, frustrate, hinder, inhibit

to use or give out in stingy amounts <he carefully nursed his energy during the marathon so that he would have something left for the final stretch>

Synonyms nurse, scant, skimp (on), stint (on)

Related Words dole out, mete (out), portion (out), ration (out); pinch, shortchange; conserve, preserve

Near Antonyms heap, lavish, pour, rain, shower