: a substance or ingredient that promotes growth, provides energy, and maintains life
Tomatoes contain a lot of nutrients, among them vitamins C and B-complex and the minerals iron and potassium.—
Mayo Clinic Health Letter
Mayo Clinic Health LetterMost frugivores do not depend exclusively on fruits, because fruits tend to be deficient in certain nutrients such as protein, and because they are only seasonally available.—Robert Lee Smith
Robert Lee SmithSandy soils need organic amendments to help them retain nutrients and water, which otherwise leach out quickly.—Sunset
SunsetExamples of nutrient in a Sentence
Adjective
a breakfast drink enriched with nutrient proteins and vitamins
Noun
Fruits and vegetables have important nutrients.
The soil is low in nutrients.
You need more nutrients in your diet.
Recent Examples on the Web
Lindsay Curtis, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
In addition to getting calorically high and nutrient-dense whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, acutely malnourished people need therapeutic food.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
Nia Bowers, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
In addition to being rich in magnesium, both hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds offer a variety of other essential nutrients that support overall health.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nutrient
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Adjective
After wisdom teeth removal, soft, nutrient-rich foods help ease discomfort and support recovery.
—Lindsay Curtis, Health, 25 Oct. 2025
In addition to getting calorically high and nutrient-dense whole foods such as fruits and vegetables, acutely malnourished people need therapeutic food.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
Equally important is soil microbiology, treating soil as a living organism, rich with fungi, microbes, and nutrients that sustain everything above ground.
—Nia Bowers, USA Today, 28 Oct. 2025
In addition to being rich in magnesium, both hemp seeds and pumpkin seeds offer a variety of other essential nutrients that support overall health.
—Jillian Kubala, Health, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for nutrient
Cite this Entry
“Nutrient.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nutrient. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
nutrient
1 of 2 adjective
nu·tri·ent
ˈn(y)ü-trē-ənt 
: furnishing nourishment
nutrient
2 of 2 noun
: a nutrient substance or ingredient
Medical Definition
nutrient
1 of 2 adjective
nu·tri·ent
ˈn(y)ü-trē-ənt
: furnishing nourishment
nutrient
2 of 2 noun
: a nutritive substance or ingredient
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