Synonyms of defended

defended 1 of 2

adjective

as in protected

Related Words

• protected
• guarded
• secured
• shielded
• safeguarded
• secure
• defensible
• tenable
• unassailable
• defendable
• invincible
• inviolable
• invulnerable
• impregnable
• bulletproof
• unbeatable
• indomitable
• untouchable
• unconquerable

Dissimilar Words

• indefensible
• untenable
• vulnerable
• liable
• open
• susceptible
• exposed
• unprotected
• undefended
• unguarded
• insecure
• unsecured
• weak
• helpless
• powerless
• defenseless
• vincible
• imperiled
• assailable

defended

2 of 2

verb

past tense of defend

1

as in guarded

to drive danger or attack away from

a solemn oath to defend the mother country at any cost

Synonyms & Similar Words

• protected
• guarded
• safeguarded
• shielded
• fended
• secured
• kept
• warded
• fenced
• screened
• prevented
• saved
• bulwarked
• covered
• opposed
• stood up for
• forfended
• preserved
• resisted
• withstood
• contended
• fought
• conserved
• averted
• warred
• battled
• picketed
• buffered
• walled
• palisaded

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• attacked
• assailed
• assaulted
• stormed
• bombarded
• submitted
• besieged
• beset
• yielded
• overran
• caved
• capitulated

2

as in justified

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections

she will pigheadedly defend any claim regardless of all evidence to the contrary

Synonyms & Similar Words

• justified
• maintained
• upheld
• supported
• advocated
• asserted
• affirmed
• proclaimed
• championed
• discussed
• confirmed
• argued
• insisted
• stuck up for
• stated
• protested
• contended
• stood up for
• vindicated
• espoused
• pleaded
• claimed
• emphasized
• debated
• averred
• professed
• warranted
• underscored
• underlined
• stressed
• avowed
• avouched

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• withdrew
• abandoned
• retracted
• reversed
• forsook
• switched
• recanted
• refuted
• took back
• rebutted
• abjured
• disproved
• controverted

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of defended

Adjective

The idea is to give aircraft another long-range weapon for attacking high-value or time-sensitive targets while keeping those aircraft farther from heavily defended areas. — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 20 Sep. 2026

The city is part of Ukraine’s Fortress Belt, a series of heavily defended cities that Russia must overcome to advance farther into the region. — Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

The line of four large and heavily defended cities, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) long, has been key to denying Moscow its goal of seizing Ukraine's industrial heartland. — ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026

Speaking at Fortune’s Workforce Innovation Summit on Tuesday, the 31-year-old defended sweeping workforce cuts at Bolt—including a recent layoff affecting roughly 30% of employees—as well as his decision to eliminate the company’s HR team. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 19 May 2026

Some defended efforts by staff to correct the books, while others demanded answers on how the accounting error had gone unnoticed through three full audit cycles. — Mona Darwish, Oc Register, 1 May 2026

Private firefighting outfits defended companies, utilities, and ultrarich enclaves while other parts of the city burned. — Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 10 Nov. 2025

Verb

The government of acting President Delcy Rodríguez, however, has defended the response of rescue teams. — CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

City officials defended the report as a routine effort to inform council members about infrastructure investments. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026

In response to OutKick, Jeffco defended its policies and cited student privacy restrictions. — Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026

Slotkin has defended her comments as a call for accountability for people who misuse taxpayer money or break the law. — Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026

However, a generation that a government minister wrote off as lazy and expendable has exposed the cracks in the system that the chief justice defended. — Amrita Basu, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026

Ginsberg, who dated Hall when Hall was just a teenager, repeatedly defended the North American Man/Boy Love Association. — Jack Denton, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026

For example, O’Donnell has staunchly defended Israel and condemned bigotry. — ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026

The secretary general of the nine-member electoral council, Nemrod Sanon visited North Miami this week and defended the changes to the electoral framework. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 17 Oct. 2026