Showing results for "fortified"

• past participle of fortify.
• past tense form of fortify.

fortified

American  

[fawr-tuh-fahyd] / ˈfɔr təˌfaɪd /

adjective

1. protected or strengthened against attack; provided with defensive military works.

   Jim’s platoon was the reserve force for his company's coordinated assault on a heavily fortified hill.

2. given strength or vigor, as by food or drink.

   She rejoined her companions, toting snacks and goodies in her pack, and the newly fortified hikers continued on their way the next day.

3. Nutrition. having one or more ingredients added, as vitamins, minerals, etc., to increase nutritional value.

   The fortified flour helps reduce anemia and enhance micronutrient uptake.

4. (of wine or the like) having extra alcohol added.

   Marsala, a fortified wine sweetened with concentrated grape juice, comes from Sicily.

5. strengthened mentally or morally.

   From this new perspective, he looked upon the impossible task with fortified courage.

6. having ingredients, elements, or features added in order to increase effectiveness or withstand strain or wear.

   The new, fortified design standards aim at strengthening buildings and infrastructure against high winds, flooding, and fire.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of fortify.

Other Word Forms

• unfortified
  adjective
• well-fortified
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of fortified

fortify ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Explanation

Fortified means strengthened or protected. When you've taken lots of vitamins, you should be fortified against getting sick! A fortified place is somewhere, like a military fort, where you are protected from danger, perhaps because you are high up on a hill or because your walls are built of iron. A fortified outfit would be a suit of armor. Fortified can also describe foods that have been supplied with added nutrients. Fortified milk might include added vitamin D, to ensure that you are getting your recommended supply.

Example Sentences

Across volatile regions, some critical infrastructure, like desalination plants and data centers, will need to be fortified with layers of reinforced concrete, duplicated to provide backups or potentially relocated underground—at significant cost.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 4, 2026

There are no happy endings here, at least ones that are fortified by the American way of life.

From Salon • Jul. 4, 2026

Meanwhile Myanmar's loosely governed borderlands have become a hotbed for online scam centres often operating out of fortified compounds guarded by militants.

From Barron's • Jul. 1, 2026

SEOUL—A North Korean soldier escaped across the Korean demilitarized zone, one of the world’s most fortified places, demonstrating that even Kim Jong Un’s intensified surveillance can’t completely stop his people from fleeing the regime.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 24, 2026

Under cover of night, Turkish troops moved not north toward Eski§ehir, as everyone expected, but to the heavily fortified city of Afyon in the south.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• barricaded
• covered
• guarded
• protected
• reinforced
• secured
• strengthened
• walled