Synonyms of upholding

upholding 1 of 2

noun

as in respect

Related Words

• respect
• deference
• adherence
• honor
• compliance
• regard
• conformity
• keeping
• conformance
• observance
• observation
• obedience
• acquiescence
• surrender
• submission
• abidance
• attendance
• accession
• attention
• heed
• notice

Dissimilar Words

• violation
• breach
• infringement
• ignoring
• contravention
• disregard
• trespass
• transgression
• infraction
• forgetting
• neglect
• nonobservance
• delinquency
• offense
• challenge
• sin
• dereliction
• defiance
• overlooking
• wrong
• rebellion
• brush-off
• flouting

upholding

2 of 2

verb

present participle of uphold

1

as in defending

to continue to declare to be true or proper despite opposition or objections

determined to uphold her views in the face of all challenges

Synonyms & Similar Words

• defending
• maintaining
• justifying
• supporting
• advocating
• affirming
• asserting
• proclaiming
• championing
• confirming
• discussing
• sticking up for
• vindicating
• standing up for
• insisting
• espousing
• stating
• emphasizing
• protesting
• arguing
• pleading
• claiming
• contending
• professing
• debating
• averring
• warranting
• stressing
• underscoring
• underlining
• avowing
• avouching

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• abandoning
• withdrawing
• forsaking
• reversing
• retracting
• taking back
• switching
• abjuring
• recanting
• refuting
• disproving
• rebutting
• controverting

2

as in sustaining

to hold up or serve as a foundation for

an entablature upheld by a series of gracefully slender columns

Synonyms & Similar Words

• sustaining
• supporting
• carrying
• bolstering
• staying
• underpinning
• buttressing
• bracing
• bearing
• undergirding
• underlying
• propping (up)
• shoring (up)
• steadying
• trussing

3

as in lifting

to move from a lower to a higher place or position

worshippers upheld their joined hands and sang the praises of the Lord

Synonyms & Similar Words

• lifting
• raising
• elevating
• hoisting
• uplifting
• heightening
• boosting
• upping
• hiking
• heaving
• taking up
• craning
• rising
• ascending
• jacking (up)
• hefting
• mounting
• upraising
• picking up
• perking (up)
• upending
• rearing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• lowering
• falling
• dropping
• descending
• pushing
• slipping
• plunging
• dipping
• bearing
• pressing
• pitching
• sinking
• depressing
• submerging

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of upholding

Noun

Service, intentionally or not, leaves a wide, wild path for a person to project onto the journey, the setting, the suffering of discomforts, the upholding of promise, their close relationship. — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026

Protecting judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and court staff is fundamental to guaranteeing access to justice, judicial independence, and the upholding of the democratic order. — Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026

In addition, the NFL alleged that the report card surveys interfered with the union’s upholding of Article 39, Section 5, which mandates that the league and union jointly conduct an anonymous survey at least once every three years regarding players’ opinions on medical care and staff. — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2026

Verb

And neither were the co-hosts, who felt their fun, feel-good, not-that-serious event was suddenly being accused of upholding white supremacy. — E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026

The Supreme Court’s recent decision upholding state bans did not create a nationwide mandate, leaving California’s policy in effect. — Alejandro Avila , Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Filmmaking as a frictionless capitalist business model is a more overbearing idea than ever and artists upholding personal values exist within a hostile environment. — Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2026

God has created and knows only the spiritual universe, in which divine law reigns and rules, upholding all that is good and true. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026

Banchi Hanuse works across film and radio as a co-founder of Nuxalk Radio, supporting Nuxalk language revitalization, upholding Nuxalk Nationhood and advocating for stewardship of Nuxalk homelands. — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Aug. 2026

At the center of northern Nigeria's strict religious code is the local Islamic police, known as the Hisbah force, whose personnel are tasked with upholding public morals across some of the region's 19 states. — ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026

During the May 21 vote, many board members lamented that their hands were tied by state law and a 3rd District Appellate Court ruling upholding the state’s solar siting regulations. — Alicia Fabbre, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026

His appeals were rejected in 2016 by a Supreme Court decision upholding the death penalty. — CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026