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as in stronghold
a structure or place from which one can resist attack the guerillas retreated to their network of hidden fastnesses deep within the mountains

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 fastness Like the pressing, the hard work mentality and fastness of transition for example. Andy Jones, New York Times, 29 May 2025 Editors and contributors compare dozens of sets and look for qualities such as softness, durability, breathability, color fastness, and how well the linens launder and withstand wear. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 16 May 2025 The system ensures good wet-rubbing and dry-rubbing fastness and softness on all kinds of fabrics. Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 30 Dec. 2024 The Neutral Ground had cowboys (or Cow Boys), Indians, cavalry attacks and rescues, and secret woodland fastnesses known only to the canniest frontiersman. Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024 The technology uses specific formaldehyde-free agents to enhance the dyeing process of raw garments, resulting in a bright and deep indigo color, improving wash and rubbing fastness, and increasing lightfastness and levelness. Andrea Onate, WWD, 12 June 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fastness
Noun
  • In the early days of college sports’ name, image and likeness era, some of the most prominent Penn State supporters — business leaders, wealthy donors, famous former members of the football program — were working to bring the Nittany Lions up to speed with the competition.
    Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 24 Sep. 2025
  • Moreover, winds from the southeast at 6 km/h may challenge players’ speed control on approach shots and putts.
    Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Israel says the city, Gaza’s largest, remains a Hamas stronghold.
    Caitlin Danaher, CNN Money, 20 Sep. 2025
  • It’s considered a Republican stronghold.
    Taylor Millard, The Washington Examiner, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Alma is torn between her loyalty to Hank and believing Maggie, all while her own dark secrets threaten to bubble to the surface.
    Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 26 Sep. 2025
  • But most of the stakeholders in the TikTok investment group are business leaders who have shown sustained loyalty to the president, which makes the deal look like a reward for fealty, Tofel says.
    Bobby Allyn, NPR, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The sudden contractions between main channels and auxiliary pathways create local velocity increases and swirling patterns that actively pull water out of the gas diffusion layer while simultaneously drawing fresh oxygen toward the catalyst sites, acting like miniature vacuum pumps.
    Tejasri Gururaj, Interesting Engineering, 25 Sep. 2025
  • The hip injury Tagovailoa sustained at Alabama, before getting drafted, extracted some velocity off his passes.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Their paradise home transformed into a fortress surrounded by armed guards, but one of them still ended up murdered by gunshot, leading to a baffling mystery.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 25 Sep. 2025
  • Interlaken is all about the outdoors, including hikes through snowy woods—like the three-mile path along Lake Thun through a forest and past fortress ruins that arrives at a lakeside park in Unterseen.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 24 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Rebecca Lowe, who anchors the Premier League Mornings desk show at halftime and between match kickoff windows, emphasized the event’s ability to pull people behind a singular interest — Premier League soccer — even if the fans’ team allegiances varied.
    Daniel Sperry, Kansas City Star, 20 Sep. 2025
  • But Colbert insisted that viewers take their allegiance to the former Apprentice host a step further.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Sports, one of the last bastions of bipartisan broadcast TV viewing, is apt to keep the network-station binary from completely dissolving.
    Dade Hayes, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2025
  • Home to some of the greatest artists, composers, writers, and philosophers of recent centuries, Germany is a cradle of history and bastion of contemporary culture, filled with enriching sights to explore and experience on your next journey.
    AFAR Media, AFAR Media, 18 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Gabe is an active member of the symphonic band, Green Hill philharmonic winds, the Green Hill brass quintet and the Spirit of Green Hill Marching Band, leading by example through hard work and dedication.
    Andy Humbles, Nashville Tennessean, 22 Sep. 2025
  • The enthusiasm and dedication that Julio and Jesus convey in our conversations was contagious.
    Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Fastness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fastness. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.

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