Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

Thesaurus

buttress

noun

Synonyms and Antonyms of buttress

1 something or someone to which one looks for support
  • the mother had always been the buttress of our family in trying times
Synonyms of buttress

anchor, dependence (also dependance), mainstay, pillar, reliance, standby
Words Related to buttress

backbone, sinew(s), spine

right hand

bolsterer, crutch, handmaiden (also handmaid), prop, stay

anchorage, harbor, refuge
2 a structure that holds up or serves as a foundation for something else
  • after the wall collapsed, the construction company agreed to rebuild it with a buttress
Synonyms of buttress

brace, mount, mounting, prop, reinforcement, shore, spur, stay, support, underpinning
Words Related to buttress

shoring

column, pedestal, pilaster, pillar

arch, bolster, bracket, cantilever, girder

bearing

crutch, peg, post, stake, stanchion, stand, stilt, strut, truss

base, foundation, frame

buttress

verb

Synonyms and Antonyms of buttress

1 to hold up or serve as a foundation for
  • a brace buttressed the wall
Synonyms of buttress

bear, bolster, brace, carry, prop (up), shore (up), stay, support, sustain, undergird, underpin, uphold
Words Related to buttress

steady, truss, underlie
2 to provide evidence or information for (as a claim or idea)
  • a mass of circumstantial evidence buttresses the prosecutor's case
Synonyms of buttress

back, bolster, corroborate, reinforce (also reenforce), shore (up), substantiate, support
Words Related to buttress

confirm, establish, prove, verify

affirm, avouch, validate
Near Antonyms of buttress

undercut, undermine, weaken

Learn More about buttress

  1. Dictionary: Definition of buttress Spanish Central: Translation of buttress Nglish: Translation of buttress for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of buttress for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about buttress

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up buttress? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show comments hide comments

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

orthography

Listen to the pronounciation of orthography

the way words of a language are spelled

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. mendacious, mendacity George Conway calls Trump a liar

  2. crawdad New novel makes waves

  3. non sequitur, sequitur Manafort judge addresses defense

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games