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upbringing meaning and examples

2025-09-09

Meaning

  • Upbringing (noun): the way in which a child is cared for and taught how to behave while growing up, especially by their parents or guardians.

Grammar and Usage

  • Part of speech: noun (countable/uncountable, often used in the singular).

  • Typical patterns:

    • "have a good/strict upbringing"
    • "give sb an upbringing"
    • "because of his/her upbringing"

Common Phrases

  • strict upbringing – raised with strong rules and discipline
  • good upbringing – raised with care, values, and manners
  • religious upbringing – raised with religious teachings and practices
  • middle-class upbringing – raised in a middle-class family environment

Collocations

  • adjective + upbringing: strict upbringing, good upbringing, harsh upbringing, proper upbringing
  • verb + upbringing: have an upbringing, receive an upbringing, give an upbringing
  • noun + upbringing: family upbringing, childhood upbringing

Examples

  1. She had a strict upbringing that shaped her personality.
  2. His polite manners show that he had a good upbringing.
  3. Despite his difficult upbringing, he became very successful.
  4. Their children benefited from a loving and supportive upbringing.
  5. A religious upbringing often influences a person’s values.
  6. He blamed his bad behavior on his troubled upbringing.
  7. She is grateful for the proper upbringing her parents gave her.
  8. Growing up in poverty gave him a tough upbringing.
  • childhood
  • rearing
  • parenting
  • education (in a broad sense)
  • nurture

Antonym

  • neglect
  • abandonment