citadel

noun

cit·​a·​del ˈsi-tə-dᵊl 

-ˌdel

1

: a fortress that commands (see command entry 1 sense 2c) a city

2

: stronghold

the nation's citadel of health research

—Constance Holden

a citadel of higher education

Synonyms

• fortress
• stronghold
• bastion
• fortification
• castle
• fort

Examples of citadel in a Sentence

We visited a medieval citadel in Italy.

a massive stone citadel continues to command the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Recent Examples on the Web

Others share the fear that a Trumpified Weiss is storming the citadel of objective journalism. —Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025

The day trip to the famous Incan citadel begins a few miles outside of the ancient city of Cusco. —Nicole Edenedo, AFAR Media, 26 Aug. 2025

Climb the fortress trail to San Giovanni—a crumbling hilltop citadel that once guarded the city from Ottoman sieges—where the vistas stretch like a myth across fjord-like waters. —Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025

Several years ago, lidar surveys revealed that a small replica of Teotihuacán’s citadel lies just outside Tikal’s center. —Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle French citadelle, from Old Italian cittadella, diminutive of cittade city, from Medieval Latin civitat-, civitas — more at city

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for citadel

• bagatelle
• caravel
• carousel
• carrousel
• clientele
• commonweal
• decibel
• demoiselle
• fontanelle
• infidel
• isabel
• machiavel

Kids Definition

citadel

noun

cit·​a·​del ˈsit-əd-ᵊl 

-ə-ˌdel

1

: a fortress that sits high above a city

2

: a strong fortress