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fortress

fortress

106 4.4
A large strong building or group of buildings to protect people from attack
  • noun
  • /ˈfɔrtərəs/
translation icon : fortaleza
  • It feels as though we have ascended a medieval stone fortress... towering above the center of Asla.
  • build a fortress
  • fortress walls
  • old fortress

They spent more on their soldiers and navies and fortresses than on anything else.

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Examples

  • The first assault on the fortress had failed.

  • Along two sides of the garden stood the fortress's high outer walls.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The French built that fortress.

  • In the dead of night, the northern wall of the fortress collapsed.

  • And so the Egyptian commander of the fortress found himself under heavy attack from the north and south.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • After five days of a long March, the Greeks finally reached the fortress, but they were without supplies.

  • An island fortress, really.

  • The visitors admired the impressive architecture of the ancient fortress built on the hill.

  • After hours of exploration, we finally reached the fortress that protected the village for centuries.

  • The soldiers gathered at the fortress, ready to defend it from any impending attacks.

Synonyms

castle
vsfortress
676 1.7

A large strong building where a ruler or noble lives

is mainly a military defense structure rather than a noble residence
fort
vsfortress
153 2.3

A strong building where soldiers live to defend an area

is larger and often a group of buildings designed for defense
stronghold
vsfortress
64 5.5

A protected place, often a castle, where people defend themselves from attack

is specifically a large strong building or group of buildings for defense
citadel
vsfortress
51 7.7

A strong fortress near a city where people shelter during war

is not limited to cities and can be outside urban areas for defense
fortification
vsfortress
9 6.6

A wall or earth mound built to protect a place from attack

is a complete defended building or group of buildings rather than parts
defensive structure
vsfortress
1 3.9

A building or wall built to protect a place from attack

is specifically a large building or set of buildings meant for defense

Antonyms

581 4.0

At risk of being harmed, attacked or influenced

133 1.4

Lack of physical or mental strength that makes someone less able to act

Compounds

star fortress
  • Specialized
9.9

A fort with triangular walls pointing outwards that form a star shape to protect it

star-shaped fortress
  • Specialized
9.9

A fortress with pointed outer walls like a star so defenders can fire on attackers from many directions

How Strong

fortress
106 4.4
citadel
51 7.7
fort
153 2.3
castle
676 1.7
outpost
110 6.0

Surface Forms

fortress singular
fortresses plural

Morphology

fortress = fort (transparent) = fort + ress

Meaning is directly related to 'fort' (a fortified place); learners familiar with 'fort' can infer 'fortress' as a fortified structure.

Etymology

Fortress comes from the Latin root fortis meaning 'strong' and is like the short word fort and the verb fortify ('to make strong'). So a fortress is literally a 'strong place' built to protect people from attack.