cherish
/'tʃeriʃ/
Definition
Verb: 1. To hold or treat as dear; to feel or show great affection for: To have a deep, tender feeling of love, care, or attachment towards someone or something. 2. To keep or cultivate with care and affection; to nurture: To protect and care for something lovingly. 3. To entertain or harbor in the mind deeply and fondly: To cling to a hope, memory, or idea with deep feeling.
Usage and Examples
- To feel deep affection for a person:
- Parents naturally cherish their children.
- He cherished his wife above all else.
- To value something highly and take good care of it:
- She cherishes the necklace her grandmother gave her.
- We should cherish our freedom.
- To hold a thought or feeling in one's mind fondly:
- I will always cherish the memory of that day.
- He cherished the hope that they would meet again.
Advanced Usage
- "To cherish the thought/idea/memory of...": To hold a particular thought or memory in high esteem and with great fondness.
- She cherished the memory of their first conversation.
- "To cherish a hope/dream": To cling to a hope or dream in a heartfelt way.
- For years, he cherished the dream of traveling the world.
Variants and Related Words
- Cherished (adjective): Deeply loved or valued; held as precious.
- Her most cherished possession was a faded photograph.
- Cherishing (present participle/gerund): The act of cherishing.
- The cherishing of family traditions is important to them.
Synonyms
- Treasure: To keep or regard as precious; highly value.
- Adore: To love and admire deeply.
- Hold dear: To regard with great affection or esteem.
- Nurture: To care for and encourage the growth or development of.
Antonyms
- Despise: To feel contempt or a deep repugnance for.
- Neglect: To fail to care for properly.
- Disregard: To pay no attention to; ignore.
Idioms and Common Phrases
- To cherish someone/something in one's heart: To hold a deep, private affection for someone or something.
- Though they were apart, he cherished her in his heart.
- A cherished belief/principle: A belief or principle that one holds as fundamentally important and dear.
- Freedom of speech is a cherished principle in a democracy.
Verb
-
be fond of; be attached to
