PROTECTED Synonyms: 76 Similar and Opposite Words

protected 1 of 2

adjective

as in defended

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protected

2 of 2

verb

past tense of protect

as in safeguarded

to drive danger or attack away from the mother bear was just trying to protect her cubs

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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 protected

Adjective

The main Wekiva River was designated by Congress in 2000 as a protected National Wild and Scenic River. — Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 Aug. 2026 This includes Ukraine, where the Russian language recently lost protected status. — Literary Hub, 13 Aug. 2026 By the 1980s, only 375 pairs were counted, prompting the state to place the bird in protected status in 1983, citing habitat loss to housing development and agriculture. — Bay City News, Mercury News, 1 Aug. 2026 For example, Paris has an aesthetic aversion to window units and rooftop HVAC systems, which helps explain why installing air-conditioning typically requires special permission from authorities, especially in protected or historic areas. — Thomas Chatterton Williams, The Atlantic, 28 June 2026 Most of them encrypted files in non-protected folders, anywhere from a handful to 24,000. — Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 25 June 2026 And yet Sazan is also a protected area. — Marzio G. Mian, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026 The southern coast of Tenerife is a hotspot environment for the conservation of cetaceans in the wild, particularly within the protected Teno-Rasca Special Conservation Zone. — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026 Clara Koh, Meta’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia, has cautioned that Malaysia’s under-16 ban could backfire by driving teenagers away from protected apps and into unregulated corners of the internet. — Eileen Ng, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

Verb

Both of those pitches have better protected his four-seam fastball, a pitch Nola has commanded much better. — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026 Spacecraft are typically protected from debris impacts by some form of a Whipple shield, which has a thin outer bumper with a space between the bumper and the wall of the spacecraft. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 8 Sep. 2026 The area was left exposed after the Palisades Fire destroyed the homes and buildings that protected the roadway. — Luzdelia Caballero, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 And that overall sense of purpose flows from a production unusually well-protected by the women who truly understand this fictional world’s appeal. — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026 City officials have previously stated that data collected through the special census is legally protected, and is only for statistical use. — Addison Wright, Chicago Tribune, 8 Sep. 2026 Unlike the other four, it was not protected as an ancient monument because it was believed to have been lost. — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026 The Preserve was first protected with the signing of a conservation easement in 2015 after nearly being gobbled up by private developers and years of staunch advocacy to preserve it. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 7 Sep. 2026 Furthermore, those initial two doses protected the subjects across six consecutive rounds of chemotherapy and through the eight-month period of the study. — Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for protected

Adjective

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
That additional space supports higher burnout velocity and helps expand the interceptor’s defended area.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of defended

Verb

In theory, the paper maintains its independence through a 1994 congressional framework and First Amendment protections safeguarded by Congress.

— Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
Longtime Webb producer Fred Mollin, who safeguarded the compositions for years, helped bring them back into the light.

— SPIN Staff, SPIN, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of safeguarded

Adjective

The Kansas City Star filed a lawsuit to make the deal public, and a Jackson County judge ruled this week that the deal could remain shielded from public view, citing exemptions in the Missouri Sunshine Law.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 11 Sep. 2026
The titular hero was born on the doomed alien world of Krypton, and grew up in a shielded city that managed to survive the planet’s initial destruction.

— David Sims, The Atlantic, 26 June 2026

Definition of shielded

Verb

City leaders shed a guarded, Mayberry-by-the-Sea mindset to court business, scrapping gross-receipts taxes, overhauling infrastructure and turning El Segundo’s warehouses and office parks into prized addresses for fast-growing companies.

— Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026
These secrets and symbols – once jealously guarded – are now readily available to anyone interested in taking up witchcraft, thanks to an explosion of content online.

— Chelsea Bailey, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of guarded

Adjective

In order to keep most of the seats available for the public, Fitzgerald limited how many of the defendants’ family members would get secured seats to 15 people.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Alo continues to expand rapidly after its big yacht summer; Vuori has surpassed its goal of 100-plus stores by the end of 2026; and the UK’s Adanola secured investment from Story3 Capital, valuing the business at $530 million last year.

— Lucy Maguire, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of secured

Adjective

The documentation looked secure, but the environment told a different story.

— Scott Alldridge, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026
Currently, meeting a connecting passenger generally requires the traveler to leave the secure area of the airport, then go through security again before continuing their trip.

— Bailey Berg, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of secure

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protected

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“Protected.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/protected. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of protected

adjective

verb

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