cherished

UK: /ˈtʃɛrɪʃt/

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

cher•ish /ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/   v. [~ + object]

1. to regard as valuable or precious:
   The early settlers cherished freedom.
2. to care for tenderly and with love;
   nurture:
   cherished his children.
3. to cling fondly to:
   to cherish a memory.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

cher•ish  (cher′ish), v.t. 

1. to hold or treat as dear;
   feel love for:
   to cherish one's native land.
2. to care for tenderly;
   nurture:
   to cherish a child.
3. to cling fondly or inveterately to:
   to cherish a memory.

• Latin cārus) + -iss -ish²; akin to charity
• Middle French cheriss- (long stem of cherir), equivalent. to cher dear (
• Middle English cherisshen 1275–1325

cher′ish•a•ble, adj. 
cher′ish•er, n. 
cher′ish•ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1, 2. Cherish, foster, harbor imply giving affection, care, or shelter to something.
  Cherish suggests regarding or treating something as an object of affection or as valuable:
  to cherish a friendship.
  Foster implies sustaining and nourishing something with care, esp. in order to promote, increase, or strengthen it:
  to foster a hope; to foster enmity.
  Harbor suggests giving shelter to or entertaining something undesirable, esp. evil thoughts or intentions:
  to harbor malice or a grudge.
• 2. nurse, nourish, sustain.

Antonyms

• 2. neglect.
• 3. relinquish.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

cherish / ˈtʃɛrɪʃ/ verb (transitive)

1. to show great tenderness for; treasure
2. to cling fondly to (a hope, idea, etc); nurse: to cherish ambitions

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French cherir, from cher dear, from Latin cārus