Synonyms for fortify
Most common
bank up strengthen harden invigorate garrison defend re-enforce undergird
Synonyms by meaning
Verb
1. Strengthen
strengthen, nerve, invigorate, harden, bank up, steel, confirm, corroborate, animate, beef up slang
4. Garrison
garrison, fort, castle, castellate, incastle dated
Definitions
- v. 1
To give power, strength, or vigour to (oneself or someone, or to something); to strengthen.
- v. 2
To support (one's or someone's opinion, statement, etc.) by producing evidence, etc.; to confirm, to corroborate.
- v. 3
To increase the nutritional value of (food) by adding ingredients, especially minerals or vitamins.
Soy milk is often fortified with calcium.
- v. 4
To impart fortitude or moral strength to (someone or their determination, or something); to encourage.
Related words
- Word family
- fortified fortifyingly fort fortification fortress
Forms
- Past participle
- fortified
e.g. fortified → strengthened, nerved, invigorated, hardened…
Example sentences
- strengthen We must strengthen the ties between our countries.
- harden Yanni waited for the resin to harden.
- garrison The garrison saw no choice but to surrender.
- defend We should tell the children how to defend oneself.
Popularity over time
| Word | 1850 → 2019 | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| fortify | steady | |
| strengthen | steady | |
| harden | steady | |
| invigorate | rising | |
| garrison | steady |
Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.
By length
- 3 letters
- arm1
- 4 letters
- fort1, lace1, gird1
- 5 letters
- steel1, nerve1, fence1, spike1, brace1
- 6 letters
- castle2, defend2, harden2
- 7 letters
- confirm2, animate3, enclose2, stiffen2
- 8 letters
- garrison3, incastle, embattle3
- 9 letters
- undergird
- 10 letters
- strengthen2, invigorate4, castellate
- 11 letters
- corroborate4
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (castle2 = 2 syllables).
In other languages
- Français
- fortifier
- Italiano
- fortificare
- Español
- fortificar
- Deutsch
- stärken