WordValebuttress
a support built against a wall to strengthen it
In more detail
1. (noun) a structure built against a wall to support or strengthen it
2. (noun) something that supports or strengthens something else
3. (verb) to support or strengthen something with facts or arguments
Examples
- The old cathedral had stone buttresses along its exterior walls.
- His experience in marketing was a strong buttress for his argument that advertising should be increased.
- She buttressed her case with detailed research and expert testimony.
How to use buttress
Buttress as a noun primarily refers to architectural supports but is also used metaphorically for anything that strengthens or supports something abstract, such as an argument or belief. As a verb, it means to strengthen or support with evidence or reasoning, often used in academic or formal discourse. The architectural sense is concrete; the figurative sense is more common in written English.
Common phrases
- flying buttress
- buttress an argument
- buttress a wall
- buttress a claim
- provide buttress for
Synonyms
support · prop · reinforce · strengthen · brace
Opposites
undermine · weaken
Word family
buttress (noun) · buttress (verb) · buttressed (adjective)
A common mistake
Learners sometimes confuse buttress with bolster or confuse the architectural sense with other structural terms like pillar or column, forgetting that a buttress specifically reinforces by being built against something rather than standing independently.
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