BUILDING BLOCK Synonyms: 45 Similar and Opposite Words

building block

noun

Definition of building block

as in member

one of the parts that make up a whole historically the infantry division has been a basic building block of armies

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 building block The strategies available are not competing answers so much as building blocks that can be sequenced thoughtfully. — Joshua Harmon, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 The body uses omega-3s as building blocks and chemical messengers that help reduce inflammation, among other benefits. — Matt Fuchs, Time, 26 June 2026 Assembling two dozen worthy building blocks is a mighty tall task, especially for a team starting with just a handful. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 June 2026 The building blocks of Ray’s crimes—compulsiveness, transgressiveness, poor boundaries—were there from early adulthood. — Adeline Goss, New Yorker, 11 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for building block

Recent Examples of Synonyms for building block

Noun

On Wednesday, von der Leyen proposed making Canada the EU's first associate member -- a status that does not currently exist in the bloc's treaties and would have to be created.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Sep. 2026
The decision to hike was split 7-2, with board members Toichiro Asada and Ayano Sato dissenting from the verdict.

— Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of member

Noun

Complex systems do not succeed because every component is intelligent.

— Nitin Gupta, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2026
Engineers who separately examined the building’s exterior supposedly found widespread corrosion in structural components of the soffit panels along the underside of an overhang that wraps around the center.

— Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of component

Noun

At the time, Mayor Christopher Clark said that the city was $164 million in debt due to a combination of factors, including a trail of expensive scandals left by predecessor Eric Kellogg, and chronically low tax collection rates.

— A.D. Quig, Chicago Tribune, 20 Sep. 2026
Postmortem commentaries on the campaign agreed that many factors were at play in Sinclair’s loss — FDR had kept his distance and progressive candidate Raymond Haight siphoned off votes from Sinclair — but Hollywood proudly took credit.

— Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026

Definition of factor

Noun

The team measured 13 rare earth elements, including cerium, ytterbium and lanthanum, and examined whether exposure was associated with birth outcomes.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 21 Sep. 2026
The film has all these crime-drama elements, and we’re caught up in that tension.

— Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of element

Cite this Entry

Style

“Building block.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/building%20block. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of building block

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

elegiac

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

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

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

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

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes