List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 57

SYNONYMS: bulwark, barricade, breastwork, earthwork, rampart, bastion, parapet.
All of these nouns refer literally to structures used as a defense against attack.

A bulwark can be a mound of earth, an embankment, or a wall-like fortification.
Barricade pertains broadly to a barrier to passage but usually implies hasty construction to meet an imminent threat.
Breastwork denotes a low defensive wall, especially a temporary one hurriedly built.
Earthwork is a defensive construction of earth.
A rampart, the main defensive structure around a guarded place, is permanent, high, and broad.
A bastion is a projecting section of a fortification from which defenders have a wide range of view and fire.
Parapet applies to any low fortification, typically a wall atop a rampart.
Of these words bulwark, barricade, rampart, and bastion are the most frequently used to refer figuratively to something regarded as being a safeguard or a source of protection: The only sure bulwark of continuing liberty is a government strong enough to protect the interests of the people, and a people strong enough and well enough informed to maintain its sovereign control. It was impossible to break through the barricade. There is no rampart that will hold out against malice. A free press is one of the bastions of a democracy.