as in foundations
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
a concern for basic human rights was the cornerstone of the president's foreign policy
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Recent Examples of cornerstones
Because their season was an overwhelming disappointment that saw many of their offensive cornerstones underperform and many of their pitching shortcuts came back to bite them.
—
Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Now 21, George has validated that move with an early-season breakout that’s turned him into one of Washington’s cornerstones.
—Grant Afseth, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
In 1986, his government opened free trade talks with the Reagan administration, forcing a national conversation that would put the cornerstones of Canadian political identity to the test.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have long been cornerstones of innovation at EA — powering everything from intelligent gameplay and real-time animation to physics simulation, pathfinding solutions, and more efficient development pipelines.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
As far as cuisine, the 13-course tasting menu (priced at $295 per person) includes a variety of dishes that show off cornerstones of Korean cooking, such as charcoal grilling and fermentation, and also take inspiration from areas across East Asia.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025
If this commitment to doing things the right way takes the lead, data centers can continue to be cornerstones of our day-to-day life — and nobody will have to worry about what society would look like without our digital emergency services, educational and job functions, communications and beyond.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis are both 25-year-old, two-way players who could be long-term cornerstones of the Sacramento Kings.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Those three words are the cornerstones of what Hetherman has preached daily since taking over as defensive coordinator in January.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
Now 21, George has validated that move with an early-season breakout that’s turned him into one of Washington’s cornerstones.
—Grant Afseth, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
In 1986, his government opened free trade talks with the Reagan administration, forcing a national conversation that would put the cornerstones of Canadian political identity to the test.
—Dónal Gill, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have long been cornerstones of innovation at EA — powering everything from intelligent gameplay and real-time animation to physics simulation, pathfinding solutions, and more efficient development pipelines.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 23 Oct. 2025
As far as cuisine, the 13-course tasting menu (priced at $295 per person) includes a variety of dishes that show off cornerstones of Korean cooking, such as charcoal grilling and fermentation, and also take inspiration from areas across East Asia.
—Nicole Hoey, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2025
If this commitment to doing things the right way takes the lead, data centers can continue to be cornerstones of our day-to-day life — and nobody will have to worry about what society would look like without our digital emergency services, educational and job functions, communications and beyond.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis are both 25-year-old, two-way players who could be long-term cornerstones of the Sacramento Kings.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 29 Sep. 2025
Those three words are the cornerstones of what Hetherman has preached daily since taking over as defensive coordinator in January.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 24 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cornerstones
Noun
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The defensive foundations are there.—
Liam Tharme,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
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Archaeologists were able to penetrate multiple layers to fully understand how the gate was constructed, including its deep foundations and supports.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The bedrocks of healthy behavior are your biggest assets for staying disease-free.—
Matt Fuchs,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
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Burnout prevention and psychological safety will become the bedrocks of resilience.—
Maman Ibrahim,
Forbes.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cornerstones.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cornerstones. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
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