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GRE vocabulary

buttress

verbHigh-frequency wordMore B words

to support, strengthen, or back up

Word origin: From Old French bouterez, a supporting structure, from bouter to thrust.

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In a sentence

Buttress in a sentence

Here are example sentences showing buttress in a sentence.

She buttressed her argument with data from three independent studies.

Additional fieldwork buttressed the theory that the settlement had been abandoned suddenly.

Synonyms
reinforcebolstersupportshore up
Antonyms
undermineweaken

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Verbal · Sentence Equivalence

Far from being the revolutionary thinker his admirers claimed, the philosopher was in fact quite blank, defending the traditional doctrines of his teachers without challenge.

Select the two answers that give the sentence the same meaning. 0 of 2 selected.

Usage & nuance

Using “buttress” well

As a verb, buttress means to support or strengthen, often an argument. The image is the architectural buttress that braces a wall from outside.

Common questions

Questions about “buttress”

Buttress (verb) means to support, strengthen, or back up
Here is buttress used in an example sentence: "She buttressed her argument with data from three independent studies." Another example: "Additional fieldwork buttressed the theory that the settlement had been abandoned suddenly."
Common synonyms for buttress include reinforce, bolster, support, shore up.
Antonyms of buttress include undermine, weaken.
Buttress pairs with reinforce, bolster, support, and shore up. Its antonyms undermine and weaken mark the opposite-context answers; it overlaps closely with bolster.
Yes. Buttress is a high-frequency GRE word, so it is worth prioritising as you build your vocabulary.

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