MAINTAIN Synonyms: 137 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'maintain' differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of maintain are assert , defend , justify , and vindicate . While all these words mean "to uphold as true, right, just, or reasonable," maintain stresses firmness of conviction. // steadfastly maintained his innocence

Q: When would 'assert' be a good substitute for 'maintain'?

Although the words assert and maintain have much in common, assert suggests determination to make others accept one's claim. // asserted her rights

Q: When could 'defend' be used to replace 'maintain'?

In some situations, the words defend and maintain are roughly equivalent. However, defend implies maintaining in the face of attack or criticism. // defended his voting record

Q: When is it sensible to use 'justify' instead of 'maintain'?

The words justify and maintain can be used in similar contexts, but justify implies showing to be true, just, or valid by appeal to a standard or to precedent. // the action was used to justify military intervention

Q: In what contexts can 'vindicate' take the place of 'maintain'?

The meanings of vindicate and maintain largely overlap; however, vindicate implies successfully defending. // his success vindicated our faith in him

maintain

verb

mān-ˈtān

Definition of maintain

as in to preserve

to keep in good condition he repairs and maintains antique cars as a hobby

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to defend

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections part of debating is learning to maintain your position in the face of harsh challenges

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to keep

to pay the living expenses of we simply cannot afford to maintain a horse

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as in to argue

to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration she continued to maintain that a sewing machine would end up paying for itself since she could make her own clothes

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as in to insist

to state as a fact usually forcefully he maintains that there is indeed hard evidence for extraterrestrial visitors

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb maintain differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of maintain are assert, defend, justify, and vindicate. While all these words mean "to uphold as true, right, just, or reasonable," maintain stresses firmness of conviction.

steadfastly maintained his innocence

When would assert be a good substitute for maintain?

Although the words assert and maintain have much in common, assert suggests determination to make others accept one's claim.

asserted her rights

When could defend be used to replace maintain?

In some situations, the words defend and maintain are roughly equivalent. However, defend implies maintaining in the face of attack or criticism.

defended his voting record

When is it sensible to use justify instead of maintain?

The words justify and maintain can be used in similar contexts, but justify implies showing to be true, just, or valid by appeal to a standard or to precedent.

the action was used to justify military intervention

In what contexts can vindicate take the place of maintain?

The meanings of vindicate and maintain largely overlap; however, vindicate implies successfully defending.

his success vindicated our faith in him

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 maintain But the defense maintains the payments were loans, not bribes. — Alice Gainer, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Magyar has also sought to repair relations with neighboring Ukraine after Orbán repeatedly blocked aid to Kyiv and held up EU sanctions against Russia, all while maintaining cordial ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 His lawyer has maintained his client’s innocence, saying Betancourt has been unfairly maligned because people associate him with a group of wealthy young Venezuelans, some of whom have been accused of wrongdoing, according to press reports. — Cate Brown, ProPublica, 21 Oct. 2026 But only if his preferred Republican candidates win and the GOP maintains control of Congress. — David Hickey, NBC news, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for maintain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maintain

Verb

Defensive end Blake Herold provided the biggest special-teams moment, blocking a 45-yard field-goal attempt by Rhett Armstrong with 18 seconds remaining to preserve the one-point win.

— Gary Bedore, Kansas City Star, 25 Oct. 2026
On the day of the operation, Thompson called on Acting ICE Director David Venturella to investigate the collision, including by preserving evidence and cooperating with local authorities.

— Eduardo Cuevas, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of preserve

Verb

Trump proceeded to defend the White House renovation for an additional five-odd minutes before delivering Obama a message directly.

— Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 27 Oct. 2026
Egypt's president sought to reassure the public that the country wouldn't attack Yemen, and that the military support is limited to defending Saudi territory.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026

Definition of defend

Verb

His critics see a president who failed to tame inflation and keep America out of overseas conflicts, and whose agenda has fueled higher prices as the war with Iran appears to be at a stalemate.

— JOSH BOAK, Arkansas Online, 21 Oct. 2026
The effort is meant to bring new jobs and millions of dollars to the state as the GOP seeks to keep control of both chambers in the midterm elections next month.

— Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of keep

Verb

Rubio has argued that before holding new elections, Venezuela must stabilize its economy and rebuild its institutions, including its courts and electoral council.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
Catholics have used Scripture to argue for and against deportations and strict immigration enforcement.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of argue

Verb

The administration insists its strategy of inflicting economic pain is working.

— Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Putin has long insisted that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which Russia has tried — and failed — to fully capture over more than four years of war have always been Russian.

— Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of insist

Verb

That includes the 30x30 program to conserve 30% of California’s land and coastal waters by 2030, advanced protections for wetlands and new efforts to rein in the use of harmful pesticides and single-use plastic.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
In many cases, states have had to step up, putting more resources into conserving the habitats and species within their borders, and ballot measures can help shape those decisions.

— Neel Dhanesha, Vox, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of conserve

Verb

Between those grounds and the pool, there's enough here to justify leaving part of the day unscheduled.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Oct. 2026
In this case, the AI agent carried over an earlier instruction not to send any Slack messages to OpenAI’s team, using that to justify turning off the alerts.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of justify

Verb

More than 120 countries supported the resolution — only three voted against it — Argentina, Israel and the United States.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
The organizers included activist Amy Sousa and commentator Brandi Kruse, who previously helped organize rallies supporting WNBA player Sophie Cunningham.

— Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of support

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

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Synonyms of maintain

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