bastion against
1
7.5
- noun
:
bastión contra
Examples
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When South Africa was believed to be a bastion against Communist expansion in the region, Congress usually supported the white minority.
Academic text (1994) -
And the psychiatrist, the man for whom problem solving was a chief source of inspiration, made a claim on time by ordering his activities into a hierarchy that became a bastion against change.
Academic text (1999) -
Yeltsin was gifted at deflecting international skepticism about his rule by portraying himself as the last bastion against a communist revival.
Academic text (2007) -
A thousand years later, America's women have not only been the guiding light for women around the world seeking opportunity; they and their male allies have been the political bastion against the right-wing sickness infecting this country's politics.
Academic text (2000) -
The community center serves as a bastion against violence in the neighborhood.
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The school's strict policies act as a bastion against bullying among students.
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The fortified castle stands as a bastion against invading armies.
Synonyms
64
5.5
A protected place, often a castle, where people defend themselves from attack
23
3.4
A group or system that protects people from danger and loss
5
8.3
A strong part of a fort that sticks out for protection
2
3.9
A place or situation that protects people from danger
1
3.9
A building or wall built to protect a place from attack
1
7.2
A defense that cannot be broken or defeated
A protected place where people hide to be safe from attack
A thing like a school or library that helps people stay informed
Antonyms
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'bastion' already denotes a strong defensive position or institution and the preposition 'against' signals opposition or protection, so their combination transparently yields the meaning ‘a strong defense or safeguard versus X’. This compositional pattern (fortress/defender + against) is cross-linguistically common and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows both constituents.
Etymology
Bastion against comes from castles: a bastion was a strong wall or tower that stuck out so soldiers could fight enemies coming against it. So calling something a bastion against a problem gives the image of a solid 'defense' that protects people from that danger.