fortified

adjective

for·​ti·​fied ˈfȯr-tə-ˌfīd 

1

: made stronger or more secure

a fortified city

fortified bridges

2

: improved or enhanced through the addition of one or more ingredients: such as

a

: having the alcohol content increased by the addition of distilled grape spirits during fermentation

Since Port is a fortified wine, it is fermented to about 5 percent alcohol, then brandy is added to arrive at a level of 20 percent alcohol.

—James Suckling

b

: enriched (as with vitamins or minerals) so that nutritional value is improved

fortified milk

Examples of fortified in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Scammers ply their trade from call centers, operating in fortified compounds or on the upper floors of unfinished high-rises. —Selam Gebrekidan, New York Times, 23 Mar. 2025

Views over Valletta’s fortified harbor evoke memories of Napoleonic battles (as depicted in Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, which shot in Malta). —AFAR Media, 21 Mar. 2025

When air raid sirens sound, our entire team moves to a fortified bunker—once a bank’s secure vault—in our studio. —Gemma A. Williams, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025

Zoom out: The fortified vaults have been the subject of swirling skepticism and shrouded by secrecy for decades. —Avery Lotz, Axios, 20 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1538, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fortified

• fortified wine

Rhymes for fortified

• actinide
• aldehyde
• alkoxide
• alongside
• amplified
• arsenide
• beautified
• biocide
• butoxide
• calcified
• ceramide
• certified