Definition of fastnessnext
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as in stronghold
a structure or place from which one can resist attack the guerillas retreated to their network of hidden fastnesses deep within the mountains

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fastness The redyed fabrics showed uniform color uptake and washing and rubbing fastness comparable to the reference fabric, according to the study. Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026 Editors and contributors compare dozens of sets and look for qualities such as softness, durability, breathability, color fastness, and how well the linens launder and withstand wear. Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Jan. 2026 Li said the color builds the familiar ring-dye, white-core look designers expect, then fades predictably in laundry while maintaining high light fastness (Grade 4–5) and strong anti-yellowing. Angela Velasquez, Sourcing Journal, 11 Nov. 2025 Like the pressing, the hard work mentality and fastness of transition for example. Andy Jones, New York Times, 29 May 2025 The Neutral Ground had cowboys (or Cow Boys), Indians, cavalry attacks and rescues, and secret woodland fastnesses known only to the canniest frontiersman. Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fastness
Noun
  • Lennon is electric, but technically Stone is Antioch’s speed back.
    Mike McGraw, Chicago Tribune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The rise lifted some components of the index into overbought territory, as measured by the relative strength index (RSI), a momentum indicator that tracks the speed and size of price changes.
    Tobias Burns, CNBC, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • In the centuries that followed, the Mission went from Mexican farmland to immigrant stronghold as waves of working-class European families moved into the neighborhood following the Gold Rush in the mid-1800s.
    Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Residents of Pale, a Bosnian Serb stronghold just outside of Sarajevo, mourned Mladic.
    Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • But without independent oversight into such decisions, oversight that Syria has yet to establish, centralization could also revive the Assad-era practice of offering economic access as a reward for political loyalty.
    Jesse Marks, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026
  • The Basij run a nationwide network of volunteers who maintain a presence in the streets, government offices and cultural centers, seeking to ensure loyalty and ideological purity for Iran’s theocracy.
    Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Essentially a form of computational fluid dynamics, the simulation divides the flow passages into a very large number of tiny regions and calculates things such as velocity, pressure, turbulence, and temperature throughout the component.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2026
  • The curves ahead are posted at a third of my current speed, but the big Brembos scrub off velocity easily, and the Slingshot rails through corner after corner.
    William Roberson, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The terrain is a natural fortress, and bombing is of limited effectiveness.
    Danielle Parker, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • There is a micronation on a fortress at sea off the coast of Great Britain, and the British government once considered blowing it up.
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • But when al-Baghdadi announced in April 2013 that the Nusra Front would be folded into the Islamic State group, al-Sharaa refused and pledged allegiance to al-Qaida’s Ayman al-Zawahiri instead.
    Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Many New Yorkers who remained behind British lines during the war were not supporters of the Revolution, but in naming their son after George Washington, the Irvings declared their allegiance.
    Eric Lach, New Yorker, 26 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • The area was incredibly special to Chamberlain, who first came out East to stay with Larry Rivers in Southampton, long before the town was a bastion of Sant Ambroeus and Brandy Melville.
    Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 21 Aug. 2026
  • He was tracked down in the town of Jesús María, a bastion of Los Chapitos on the outskirts of Culiacán, where another of El Chapo’s sons, Ovidio Guzmán López, was arrested after a firefight in 2023.
    Senior Editor, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Our nurses play an essential role in caring for others with compassion and dedication, and this loss is being felt across our entire community.
    ABC News, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Rogers’ heartfelt dedication touched on each of those points, remembering Parton for her charitable spirit and immense talent.
    Chris Parton, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Fastness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fastness. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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