noun · neutral

upbringing

/ˈʌpbrɪŋɪŋ/UP·bring·ing

Band 6-7speakingtask2

The way a child is raised, including discipline, values and habits taught by parents.

Examples

Her upbringing was strict, so she values punctuality.

Different upbringings can explain why siblings behave differently as adults.

He credits his success to his early upbringing.

Band 8 sentence

My upbringing emphasised politeness and hard work, which I now realise shaped my attitude to study and relationships.

Collocations

  • childhood upbringing
  • strict upbringing
  • liberal upbringing

Word family

upbringing nounbring up phrasal verbbrought up verb (past participle)

Common mistakes

My education was strict.My upbringing was strict.

up bringingupbringing

Say it for a higher band

5education6raising7+upbringing

Synonyms

child-rearing

raising

Easily confused

education

She had a good education at school but her upbringing taught her humility.

raising

His raising was strict — (more commonly: His upbringing was strict).

Related words

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In Family & Relationships

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