Definition

1. Noun:
   • The process of raising and training a child: "upbringing" refers to the way a child is cared for, taught, and given moral guidance, especially within a family.
   • The treatment and instruction received during childhood: It denotes the experiences, education, and care that shape a person's character and social development from infancy to adulthood.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • Her strict upbringing taught her the value of discipline.
  • He credits his success to his supportive upbringing.
  • The two siblings had very different upbringings, even though they grew up in the same house.

Advanced Usage

• "Nature versus nurture": This common phrase contrasts the influence of genetics ("nature") with the influence of environment and upbringing ("nurture").
  • The study explores the classic debate of nature versus nurture in personality development.

Variants and Related Words

• To bring up (phrasal verb): To raise a child; to care for and educate a child until they are an adult.
  • She was brought up to respect her elders.
• Upbring (verb, archaic): An obsolete form meaning to rear or educate. (Note: This form is not used in modern English; "upbringing" is exclusively a noun.)

Synonyms

• Rearing: The process of bringing up and educating children.
• Raising: The act of nurturing and training a child.
• Nurture: The care, upbringing, and training given to someone, emphasizing environmental influences.

Related Phrases

• Formative years: The period in a person's life, typically childhood and adolescence, when character and attitudes are formed.
  • Experiences during one's formative years are crucial to their upbringing.

Noun

1. helping someone grow up to be an accepted member of the community
   • they debated whether nature or nurture was more important
2. properties acquired during a person's formative years