Sustain
What it means
To support, maintain, or keep something going.
Reach for it when describing what supports, maintains, or keeps something valuable going
Regular donations sustain the free meal program.
Words to choose between 7
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional |
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| formal | |
| literary |
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everyday
keep going
Fits when plain encouragement matters more than technical precision
Careful Evidence, funding, and ecological systems need a more precise term.
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warm
Fits when growth depends on attentive material or emotional care
Careful Machines and legal claims may be sustained without nourishment.
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warm
Fits when help or resources strengthen people or work
Careful Support can be momentary; sustaining covers the effort's continued life.
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professional
Fits when keeping a condition or standard unchanged is the task
Careful Sustain can involve active renewal, while maintain often means preserving a level.
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formal
Fits when preventing loss or decay is the primary aim
Careful A living program must adapt to be sustained, not merely preserved.
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formal
Fits when a rule, principle, or decision is kept in force
Careful People and ecosystems are sustained rather than upheld.
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literary
carry
Fits when one source bears an effort through a demanding period
Careful Carry can wrongly suggest that other contributors did nothing.
Opposites 3
- deplete
- abandon
- discontinue
Common phrases 3
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sustain growth
Training and careful hiring will sustain growth without exhausting the team.
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sustain interest
Short field visits helped sustain interest through the long research phase.
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sustain a program
Recurring donations can sustain a program after the launch grant ends.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Dvortygirl, California accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 Updated