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backbone

noun

ˈbak-ˈbōn How to pronounce backbone (audio)
Definition of backbonenext
1
as in spine
a column of bones supporting the trunk of a vertebrate animal found the backbone of a fish lying on the beach

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in courage
the strength of mind that enables a person to endure pain or hardship it takes backbone to stand up to the kind of suffering that some cancer patients must endure

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 backbone The backbone of Trash Mountain is the relationship between Hearon’s Gavin and his sister, Abbi. — Mia Galuppo, HollywoodReporter, 11 Sep. 2026 Far less attention has been paid to the industrial backbone that allows those stories to exist at scale. — Nia Bowers, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026 With that as the backbone, On Location has since expanded (and changed hands) to include relationships with the World Cup, Olympics and March Madness, among others. — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 10 Sep. 2026 This engine will sit within a titanium ‘backbone’ that’s milled from a single billet. — New Atlas, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for backbone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for backbone
  1. spine
  2. courage
  3. fortitude
  4. fiber
  5. stamina
  6. grit
  7. guts
  8. bravery
Noun
  • Both the parabolic arc of a flying baseball and the parabolic arc at the tip of a cactus spine can be described using quadratic equations, but the two are fashioned by different forces.
    — Elise Cutts, Quanta Magazine, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Later still, BMPs help direct the migration of mature neurons in the developing spine.
    — JOHN TIMMER, ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of spine
Noun
  • For DeSorbo, however, opening up about her experience didn’t initially feel like an act of courage.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 24 Sep. 2026
  • But when catastrophe leaves them fighting for survival, they are propelled into an impossible race against time that will test the limits of courage, sacrifice and love.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of courage
Noun
  • But more importantly — and what comes with age — is having the fortitude not to follow them.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 19 Sep. 2026
  • That mental fortitude stood out to Green during a minor-league game in which Voit started 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
    — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of fortitude
Noun
  • Similarly, Mystic operates a nearly 100,000-square-foot production facility and specializes in advanced carbon-fiber and composite manufacturing, according to MARTAC’s June 1 announcement.
    — Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026
  • Additionally, the agency’s tests relied on a less sensitive optical microscopy method that can see only larger asbestos fibers.
    — Brenda Goodman, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of fiber
Noun
  • The Libra Sun opposes Neptune across your work and rest zones, making concentration, motivation, or stamina feel less reliable than usual.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 25 Sep. 2026
  • The skill isn’t spreadsheets or KPIs but having the stamina to defund something that’s quietly working, then sit with the people who built and loved it.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of stamina
Noun
  • The show only exists because McConaughey and Harrelson decided to make it, and whatever passion, knowledge, grit, and hustle was needed to turn a celebrity indulgence into scripted entertainment is undetectable in the final product.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Hall’s recipe uses a classic combination of stone-ground grits, milk, water, and salt, but the Nashville native’s cooking technique may be different than the one your mama taught you.
    — Melissa Locker, Southern Living, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of grit
Noun
  • In their new Apple series, Brothers, that infamous tale appears in the pilot when Holland Taylor, playing Ma Mac, drops the bomb on Harrelson, who doesn’t have the guts to tell McConaughey right away.
    — Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 24 Sep. 2026
  • McNeely’s riff shows a toe (flexed, as ever) hoisted from the ceiling, the rest of the figure an illegible mass of guts and bones.
    — Emily Watlington, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of guts
Noun
  • Galeo’s practical inventions and growing trust in his sister offer a different path to bravery than the one his village has taught him.
    — Ed Meza, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Kyrie Irving is criticizing ESPN‘s lack of bravery for not naming Hind Rajab, a young Palestinian war victim, in a social media post about Irving’s public offer to pay an NFL player’s fine for paying tribute to Rajab during a football game.
    — Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of bravery

Browse Nearby Words

backbiting
backbone
backboned
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Cite this Entry

“Backbone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/backbone. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on backbone

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about backbone

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