Synonyms of escarpment

escarpment

noun

i-ˈskärp-mənt 

as in cliff

a steep wall of rock, earth, or ice

the castle sits atop an escarpment that for hundreds of years made it virtually invulnerable to attack

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cliff
• palisade
• crag
• bluff
• scarp
• scar
• precipice
• embankment
• barranca
• butte
• tor
• hogback
• declivity
• cuesta
• pitch
• bulwark
• drop-off

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of escarpment

Just as the sun prepared to sink beyond the escarpments, its rays struck every piece of the fractured glass resting on top of the window frames, alighting all of them at once, as if they were shot with electricity. — New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026

As the sun dropped and the temperature fell, Scarabeo Roches Noires emerged on the horizon, a small cluster of white tents perched on a rocky escarpment. — Fergus Scholes, TheWeek, 30 Jan. 2026

Outside, stone cladding and turf roofs help the buildings blend into the escarpment. — Nicholas Derenzo, AFAR Media, 29 Jan. 2026

At 5 o’clock the sun dropped behind Steamboat Mountain, a towering escarpment that overshadows the entire area. — William J. McRae, Outdoor Life, 26 Nov. 2025