Sustenance Meaning

/ˈsʌs.tə.nəns/
C1

Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.

Listen pronunciation

nounSomething that provides support or nourishment.

It was a source of sustenance.
Tom kept two or three cows for the sustenance of his family.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
None
CEFR Practice Quiz
The refugees urgently need food and clean water for their daily ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hikers carried enough food and water to provide them with ____ during their long journey through the forest today.

From Middle English sustenaunce, from Old French sustenance, from sustenir with the suffix -ance, from Vulgar Latin *sustenire, from Latin sustinere. Compare also Late Latin sustinentia. Equivalent to sustain + -ance.

"More than a mere source of Promethean sustenance to thwart the cold and cook one's meat, wood was quite simply mankind's first industrial and manufacturing fuel." — 2006, Edwin Black, chapter 2, in Internal Combustion:

Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words

CEFR Practice Quiz
The refugees urgently need food and clean water for their daily ____.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The hikers carried enough food and water to provide them with ____ during their long journey through the forest today.

Expand Your Vocabulary with LexUp

Master English words using smart flashcards, play exciting word rounds, and compete with other learners worldwide.

Browse CEFR Words Alphabetically