nurturing instinct
Inborn protective urge
A nurturing instinct is an innate drive to care for, protect, and foster the development of others—especially children or those who are vulnerable.
The phrase often appears in discussions of parenting and caregiving: She has a strong nurturing instinct.
While traditionally associated with mothers, the term applies broadly to anyone drawn to caretaking roles.
- maternalOf or like mothers
- protectiveServing to guard
- caringShowing kind concern
- tender loving careSolicitous, gentle caregiving
- tendernessGentle, caring quality
warmth · warm embrace · bonding · cradling · feeding · sheltering · safe haven · devotion · mothering · mother hen · mama bear · brooding · nesting · bird's nest · attachment · gentle · soft touch · soothing
- instinctsprimal urge, fight-or-flight, fight or flight, self-preservation, inherited traits
- drivesdrive, hard drive, flash drive, USB drive, CD drive
- sex traitsbreasts, facial hair, body hair, voice deepening, deep voice
nurturing instinctkiller instinct
Merciless competitive determination
predatory instinct · cruelty · malevolence · survival instinct · brutality
nurturing instinctneglect
Failure to provide care
rejection · indifference · emotional withdrawal · avoidance · disengagement
nurturing instinctlearned behavior
Action acquired through experience
conditioned response · cultural practice · conscious parenting
nurture, nurtured, nurtures, nurturing, nurturance, nursery, nursing, nursed, nurses