as in fortresses
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 citadels
The story is a bit murkier than Manichaean talk of stormers and citadels.
—
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Intelsat’s leadership rapidly green-lighted the campaign to set up internet citadels.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 6 Oct. 2025
Intelsat’s leadership rapidly green-lighted the campaign to set up internet citadels.
—Kevin Holden Platt, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for citadels
Noun
-
Meanwhile, history buffs will love exploring the island’s capital via colorful Spanish-colonial architecture and imposing, ancient fortresses like La Fortaleza and El Morro.—
Brittany Chang,
Condé Nast Traveler,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Collective investments in resilience are cheaper than everyone building their own fortresses.—
Haley Ott,
CBS News,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Now, only small pockets of staghorn colonies remain farther north, including near Fort Lauderdale, where reefs around Port Everglades now represent one of the species’ last natural strongholds in the continental United States.—
Teresa Tomassoni,
Sun Sentinel,
18 Jan. 2026
-
Electoral officials face questions about the failure of biometric voter identification machines, which caused delays Thursday in the start of voting in urban areas — including the capital, Kampala — that are opposition strongholds.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In her conversations with health officials around the country, Balfour has found that there is increasing backlash towards the growing number of people who are unhoused, even in liberal bastions such as San Francisco and Seattle.—
O. Rose Broderick,
STAT,
2 Jan. 2026
-
After tenures at Atlanta bastions like Miller Union, pastry chef Claudia Martinez is now taking the driver’s seat with a star-studded crew behind her.—
Su-Jit Lin,
Southern Living,
17 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Some are outfitted with dozens of pounds of explosives to self-destruct near fortifications or bridges.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Passmore’s magisterial, revisionist account of the Maginot Line—the network of French fortifications built in the 1920s and 1930s to stop a German invasion—challenges the conventional understanding of its role in World War II.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The rousing trailer finds Prince Adam bored to death hiding out at a generic corporate desk job on Earth when his precious sword is discovered, which sends him on a wild odyssey back to the land of Eternia and its talking tigers, spaceships, gothic castles, and magic swords.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
23 Jan. 2026
-
Seeped in history, Messinia is rich with classical temples, Byzantine churches, and craggy medieval castles (a stomp up to the ruins at Pylos is a must, for the breathtaking 360-degree views).—
Jemima Sissons,
Condé Nast Traveler,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Our chairs are for sitting on, not for constructing elaborate forts.—
Eddie Small,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
-
From ancient forts and settlements to Roman roads, some of England’s most impressive Neolithic monuments can be found here.—
Andrea Bussell,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Citadels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/citadels. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
