citadel

noun

ˈsi-tə-dᵊl How to pronounce citadel (audio)
Definition of citadelnext
as in fortress
a structure or place from which one can resist attack a massive stone citadel continues to command the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

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 citadel Though the song is heavily acoustic, its distorted guitar solos hail squarely from the realm of harder rock, and the artificial choirs that seep in toward the end seem to call out to the symphonic citadels of the Norwegian black metallers. — Sam Goldner, Pitchfork, 19 July 2026 One of the oldest citadels in the Middle East, Jerash has seen an unbroken chain of human occupation since the Bronze Age. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 3 June 2026 Paton, 52, was in Peru with his wife to hike the Inca Trail, a popular route that ends at Machu Picchu, a citadel built by the Incas in the 15th century. — Sam Peters, CNN Money, 22 May 2026 The new vow to speed the globe’s flora and fauna to a second-world citadel represented a remarkable philanthropic expansion of Musk’s overarching Mars missions. — Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 28 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for citadel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for citadel
  1. fortress
  2. stronghold
  3. bastion
  4. fortification
  5. castle
  6. fort
Noun
  • According to the brand, these mushrooms were actually found growing in the cellar of the nearby Wilhelmsburg fortress, so the team decided to use them to add some umami flavor to the gin.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The Roman city of Cologne and a legionary fortress in Bonn were also nearby — raising the possibility of a military connection.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of fortress
Noun
  • The new map for the 3rd district cut out Republican strongholds like Roseville and Lincoln and now includes parts of Folsom, Rancho Cordova, Auburn, Truckee and South Lake Tahoe.
    — Madison Smalstig, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • The state’s First Congressional District is known as a Democratic stronghold, with Hannah Pingree’s mother, Chellie Pingree, expected to retain the seat she’s held since 2009.
    — Eve Batey, Vanity Fair, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of stronghold
Noun
  • At the start of this election cycle, the notion that Democrats would seriously compete in such deep-red bastions as Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas would have seemed absurd.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • In Florida, Republicans hung onto control in what has been a GOP bastion for much of the past two decades.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of bastion
Noun
  • Jones examines the role America has played in the broader history of castles, from early fortifications to Civil War-era forts.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, North Korea has been adding mines, barbed wire fences, tactical roads, anti-tank walls and other fortifications to what's already one of the world's most heavily armed borders.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of fortification
Noun
  • So, rather than castles and stony ramparts, visitors encounter farms and sleepy villages.
    — Rick Steves, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
  • That proved too costly for producers, so the decision was made to change the location to a castle, while keeping the idea of a mutiny and rival factions working against each other.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of castle
Noun
  • The Alamo is the fort that was under siege by the Mexican army for 13 days in 1836, killing more than 150.
    — Caroline Linton, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Now a state park, the first fort on this peninsula was established in the 1630s.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of fort

Browse Nearby Words

citable
citadel
citadels
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Citadel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/citadel. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on citadel

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about citadel

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

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

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

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

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All