BUTTRESSES Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

buttresses 1 of 2

noun

plural of buttress

as in anchors

something or someone to which one looks for support the mother had always been the buttress of our family in trying times

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Relevance

as in pillars

a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else after the wall collapsed, the construction company agreed to rebuild it with a buttress

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buttresses

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of buttress

as in supports

to hold up or serve as a foundation for a brace buttressed the wall

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as in reinforces

to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea) a mass of circumstantial evidence buttresses the prosecutor's case

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of buttresses

Noun

With their swollen, flaring buttresses and soaring heights of 80 feet or more, the trees are awe-inspiring when reflected in the dark water. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 Researchers have been concerned that without their icy buttresses, these walls could collapse. — Megan I. Gannon, Scientific American, 6 May 2026 Three setbacks provide space for landscaped terraces, and at these floors, the structural columns slope inward, becoming tall buttresses that reintegrate into the latticework. — Adam Williams april 21, New Atlas, 21 Apr. 2026 Arches and natural bridges sweep like buttresses from jumbles of rock, giving this landscape a mystical, cathedral-like quality. — Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026 There were also some spider-like buttresses for the London streets. — Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 12 Dec. 2023

Verb

The document filed by the Justice Department in the Los Angeles Superior Court case led by plaintiffs Todd and Kimberley Ferrier — whose Pacific Palisades home burned down — buttresses arguments made by the victims’ attorneys. — Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026 That very insight further buttresses the need for a grand strategy. — James B. Steinberg, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020

Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttresses

Noun

But despite this, they were still conceived of as being located within the mounds themselves, real-world anchors for these strange, marvelous realms.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
The New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is honoring longtime WBZ-TV News anchors Lisa Hughes and David Wade with a prestigious award.

— WBZ-News Staff, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of anchors

Verb

Public health officials say there is no conclusive scientific evidence that supports using cat’s claw for any health purposes.

— Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
The approach also supports flexible battery replacement and scalable operation.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of supports

Verb

His son Gal, 25, was killed fighting in Gaza in December 2023, a loss that reinforces his appeal to voters focused on security.

— Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026
That growing threat reinforces our conviction in cybersecurity as a long-term AI winner.

— Alexa LoMonaco,Matthew J. Belvedere,Jeff Marks, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of reinforces

Noun

Also with a real understanding that girls and women are the backbones not just of our families, but our communities and our democracy.

— Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2026
The structural backbones of the phalanges are 3D-printed from PLA, while soft silicone interfaces provide friction and compliance when the fingers contact a branch.

— Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of backbones

Noun

Law enforcement are searching for a Viking statue stolen from a gravestone in a cemetery on the shores of Minnesota's Lake Mille Lacs.

— WCCO Staff, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026
Abu Simbel, on the shores of Lake Nasser south of Aswan, will also see a 92% partial solar eclipse.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of shores

Verb

This difference influences how nuclear fuel behaves and how a reactor sustains fission.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 16 Oct. 2026
In this account, its processing does not intrinsically continue the fourfold coherence through which nature sustains intelligence.

— Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of sustains

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buttressed

buttresses

buttressing

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Style

“Buttresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttresses. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of buttresses

noun

verb

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