DEFENDED Synonyms: 121 Similar and Opposite Words

defended 1 of 2

adjective

as in protected

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defended

2 of 2

verb

past tense of defend

as in guarded

to drive danger or attack away from a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in justified

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections she will pigheadedly defend any claim regardless of all evidence to the contrary

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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 defended

Adjective

The idea is to give aircraft another long-range weapon for attacking high-value or time-sensitive targets while keeping those aircraft farther from heavily defended areas. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026 The city is part of Ukraine’s Fortress Belt, a series of heavily defended cities that Russia must overcome to advance farther into the region. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026 The line of four large and heavily defended cities, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) long, has been key to denying Moscow its goal of seizing Ukraine's industrial heartland. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026 Speaking at Fortune’s Workforce Innovation Summit on Tuesday, the 31-year-old defended sweeping workforce cuts at Bolt—including a recent layoff affecting roughly 30% of employees—as well as his decision to eliminate the company’s HR team. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 19 May 2026 Some defended efforts by staff to correct the books, while others demanded answers on how the accounting error had gone unnoticed through three full audit cycles. — Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 1 May 2026 Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025

Verb

The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, however, has defended the response of rescue teams. — CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026 City officials defended the report as a routine effort to inform council members about infrastructure investments. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026 In response to OutKick, Jeffco defended its policies and cited student privacy restrictions. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026 Slotkin has defended her comments as a call for accountability for people who misuse taxpayer money or break the law. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026 However, a generation that a government minister wrote off as lazy and expendable has exposed the cracks in the system that the chief justice defended. — Amrita Basu, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026 Ginsberg, who dated Hall when Hall was just a teenager, repeatedly defended the North American Man/Boy Love Association. — Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026 For example, O’Donnell has staunchly defended Israel and condemned bigotry. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026 The secretary general of the nine-member electoral council, Nemrod Sanon visited North Miami this week and defended the changes to the electoral framework. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for defended

Adjective

Eco effort Because Kanai is a protected area, eco efforts are top of mind.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
The result is a more efficient propulsion system that delivers greater range and energy, enabling engagement of highly maneuverable aerial threats at safer distances from protected forces.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of protected

Verb

The song delivered on the hype produced by The X Factor, and justified the screams that One Direction had already invited with their performances of cover songs.

— Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2026
Investors are worried about whether their high prices are justified.

— Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of justified

Adjective

After New Deal policies of the 1930s and 40s secured workers’ legal rights, union membership soared.

— Liz Shuler, Time, 15 Oct. 2026
The crash site remained secured Wednesday as investigators worked to piece together the circumstances surrounding the deadly flight.

— Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of secured

Verb

But two more scores from Rexroat of 5 and 54 yards maintained the Eagles’ control of the game.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2026
In tests, the device maintained stable operation for over 72 hours, producing hydrogen at a rate of 466 μmol per square centimeter per hour.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of maintained

Adjective

In the school timeline Carrie is an isolated and shielded child struggling with her father's death and essentially thrown to the wolves at school.

— David Hookstead OutKick, FOXNews.com, 14 Oct. 2026
Packer once helped design a bunker for a client’s horse, with access between the family shelter and a shielded area built into a hillside.

— Megan Buerger, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of shielded

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“Defended.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/defended. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of defended

adjective

verb

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