fastness

[ fast-nis, fahst- ]
See synonyms for fastness on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a secure or fortified place; stronghold: a mountain fastness.

  2. the state of being fixed or firm: the fastness of democratic institutions.

  1. the state of being rapid.

Origin of fastness

1
before 900; Middle English; Old English fæstnes.See fast1, -ness

Words Nearby fastness

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use fastness in a sentence

  • With each description from the world’s best players about the beastliness of Augusta National on Thursday — its firmness, its fastness, its fickle wind — Justin Rose’s round gained more shine as it went along.

  • Edwin had to brace himself again, for an assault upon the fastness of the stationmaster.

    Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett
  • And in the incredibly small and incredibly dirty fastness of the stationmaster, they indeed found a Bradshaw.

    Hilda Lessways | Arnold Bennett
  • After journeying for several days through a desert country, they reached Sechele's mountain fastness.

    Robert Moffat | David J. Deane
  • Twice she heard large bodies moving in the tangled fastness about the clearing, but what made the sounds remained a mystery.

    Warrior of the Dawn | Howard Carleton Browne
  • Siegfried, the hero of the Nibelungen Lied, dwells in the mountain fastness of Geroldseck.

    The Science of Fairy Tales | Edwin Sidney Hartland

British Dictionary definitions for fastness

fastness

/ (ˈfɑːstnɪs) /


noun
  1. a stronghold; fortress

  2. the state or quality of being firm or secure

  1. the ability of a dye to remain permanent and not run or fade

  2. archaic swiftness

Origin of fastness

1
Old English fæstnes; see fast 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012