citadel

noun

cit·​a·​del ˈsi-tə-dᵊl 

-ˌdel

1

: a fortress that commands (see command entry 1 sense 2c) a city

2

: stronghold

the nation's citadel of health research

—Constance Holden

a citadel of higher education

Synonyms

• bastion
• castle
• fastness
• fort
• fortification
• fortress
• hold
• redoubt
• stronghold

Examples of citadel in a Sentence

We visited a medieval citadel in Italy.

a massive stone citadel continues to command the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia

Recent Examples on the Web

On the one hand, the country is an economic citadel, packed with resources and blessed by ocean borders that shield it from invasion while connecting it to global trade. —Michael Beckley, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025

Today, this citadel in the clouds faces a different kind of conquest: nearly a million people each year are treading sacred ground at this New Wonder of the World. —Paul Jebara, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Dec. 2024

Pearce, in a magnificent performance, plays him as a kind of citadel—towering yet human-scaled, his immaculate dress and coiffure barely mussed by the occasional burst of temper or spasm of ego. —Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 20 Dec. 2024

Another clip shows rebels at the city’s citadel, which is also in central Aleppo. —Eyad Kourdi, CNN, 30 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French citadelle, from Old Italian cittadella, diminutive of cittade city, from Medieval Latin civitat-, civitas — more at city

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

citadel

noun

cit·​a·​del ˈsit-əd-ᵊl 

-ə-ˌdel

1

: a fortress that sits high above a city

2

: a strong fortress