Synonyms of pillar

pillar

noun

ˈpi-lər 

1

as in pilaster

an upright shaft that supports an overhead structure

the ancient Greek temple boasted graceful marble pillars with richly ornamented tops

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pilaster
• column
• stanchion
• pier
• pedestal
• post
• obelisk
• buttress
• caryatid
• needle
• piling
• pile
• flying buttress

2

as in anchor

something or someone to which one looks for support

my father has been my pillar throughout this crisis

Synonyms & Similar Words

• anchor
• backbone
• mainstay
• buttress
• reliance
• crutch
• dependence
• standby
• spine
• right hand
• refuge
• prop
• handmaiden
• anchorage
• sinew(s)
• stay
• bolsterer
• harbor

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pillar

Still, the pieces of ceiling trim dedicated to the pillars of courage and trust remained missing, a nod perhaps to the traits most easily lost when disaster strikes – and most needed to rebuild. — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

The 25-year-old is playing alongside 18-year-old Josuar Gonzalez and 17-year-old Luis Hernandez, the teenage shortstops considered to be pillars of San Francisco’s future. — Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 6 July 2026

The only way to preserve our republic is to strengthen the pillars of our present with the mortar of our past. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2026

These clips, showing first-person views from drones striking military and logistical sites, have become a pillar of Ukraine’s wartime propaganda efforts to illustrate battlefield successes against Russia. — Marc Santora, New York Times, 4 July 2026