FORTIFYING Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

fortifying

verb

present participle of fortify

as in bracing

to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally Kelly fortified herself for the basketball tournament with a series of confidence-boosting exercises

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in strengthening

to increase the ability of (as a muscle) to exert physical force he downed another granola bar to fortify himself for the rest of the bike ride

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hardening

to make able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure bought lots of warm clothing to fortify ourselves against the cold

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 fortifying Tensions between North and South Korea have risen since Pyongyang began fortifying its border in April 2024. — Reuters, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026 Tensions between North and South Korea have risen since Pyongyang began fortifying its ‌border ⁠in April 2024. — Reuters, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 Young also could pull the ultimate heel turn and sign with the New York Liberty, fortifying their perimeter rotation. — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 15 Oct. 2026 City officials have been frantically preparing for Rachel, building sand berms and fortifying vulnerable areas with sandbags. — Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026 CISOs invested billions of dollars fortifying corporate inboxes with secure email gateways (SEGs), enforcing strict DMARC policies and conducting continuous phishing simulations for employees. — Firas Azmeh, Forbes.com, 5 Oct. 2026 Residents were busy fortifying their properties ahead of the peak of the weather event, as city officials positioned crews early to begin working on lining the shore with berms. — Lesley Marin, CBS News, 30 July 2026 In response, Anthropic took the model off the market on June 12, and then re-released it on June 30 after fortifying its security. — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 24 July 2026 New Orleans residents prepared for Bertha's arrival by fortifying their properties with sandbags, and many boat owners in the region moved their vessels out of docks located along the coast to safer locations. — Kenton Gewecke, ABC News, 22 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for fortifying

Verb

Residents have been bracing to see what El Niño has in store this winter after an active hurricane season that has dramatically reshaped many of Southern California’s most famous beaches, including in San Clemente and adjacent Capistrano Beach.

— Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Wall Street is bracing for what is expected to be a downer quarter from the OTT service.

— Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of bracing

Verb

These questions shift technology governance from managing individual problems toward strengthening organizational adaptability.

— Chandini Sheeba, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026
Eizenkot has campaigned on restoring public trust in government, strengthening Israel’s security, and preserving its foundation as a Jewish democracy.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of strengthening

Browse Nearby Words

fortify

fortifying

fortitude

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of fortifying

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

milieu

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes