Synonyms of keystone

keystone

noun

ˈkē-ˌstōn 

as in cornerstone

an immaterial thing upon which something else rests

a sense of history is the keystone to the city's draw as a tourist destination

Synonyms & Similar Words

• cornerstone
• basis
• foundation
• bedrock
• root
• base
• justification
• groundwork
• core
• ground
• framework
• underpinning
• footing
• premise
• warp
• support
• theory
• bottom
• essence
• focus
• warp and woof
• infrastructure
• center
• mount
• assumption
• prop
• backbone
• rationale
• kernel
• thesis
• anchorage
• shore
• substratum
• heart
• presumption
• brace
• bed
• substructure
• bulwark
• hub
• warrant
• nucleus
• stay
• buttress
• seat
• presupposition
• supposition
• touchstone
• soul
• eye
• quintessence

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of keystone

Tales of what happened at Roswell have grown in the telling so that it’s now seen as a keystone event by many true believers in the alien origins of unidentified flying objects (UFOs). — Emma Gometz, Scientific American, 12 June 2026

Laviolette acknowledged that Los Angeles needed to change, highlighting that an attack-forward mindset has been a keystone of his coaching. — Liana Handler, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

But the Cuyahoga River combusting due to pollutants from corporate dumping was one of the keystone events in the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency. — Chicago Tribune, 4 May 2026

And for United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, a keystone habit for leading the $30 billion airline is taking a 20-minute nap on the floor, which his staff initially found bizarre. — Julian Hayes Ii, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026