Finding the right word to use in your writing can be tricky. When we overuse a word, we often need to find a new way of saying the same thing. But synonyms have to be used in the correct context.

Support is a word that is easy to overuse, especially in business writing. Today, we’re taking a look at some great synonyms for support that you can use in your writing as well as a few antonyms.

What Does Support Mean?

First, let’s take a look at the various definitions of support. Knowing the appropriate definition will help you decide which synonyms are best to use.

Support can act as a noun and a verb, and both forms have multiple definitions. Support comes from a Medieval Latin word, supportare, which means to convey or endure.

We’ll start with the various verb definitions. Support can mean to hold up or prop up something. This can be literal, as with buildings, or figurative, as in supporting your team. Another meaning is to assist or help something.

Support can mean to back something up, such as evidence backing up a claim. It can mean to uphold or agree with a policy, law, issue, theory, or argument. Support can also refer to financially aiding someone.

As a noun, support is the act of supporting. It can refer to a physical support structure or to  moral or psychological support.

Sometimes, support refers to a service that helps people or to a person who provides help. Support can also mean the things that are needed to survive or the various resources needed in a certain situation.

Support Synonym Options (Verb)

Now, let’s look at some common synonyms for the verb form of support.

Synonyms for physically supporting something include:

• Bolster
• Carry
• Fortify
• Prop (up)
• Reinforce
• Shore (up)
• Uphold

Support often has a less literal meaning, however. Here are some synonyms for providing immaterial assistance and moral support:

• Aid
• Assist
• Back (up)
• Care for
• Cheer
• Encourage
• Endorse
• Foster
• Help
• Raise (up)
• Side with
• Stand behind/by
• Stand up for
• Strengthen
• Throw in with

Here are some synonyms when support means to back up a statement, theory, or ideal:

• Corroborate
• Defend
• Lend credence
• Substantiate
• Verify

When talking about providing financial aid to someone, you can say:

• Finance
• Fund
• Maintain
• Subsidize

Support Synonym Options (Noun)

Now, we will look at some related words for support as a noun. A common support synonym is assistance. You can use assistance as another word for many of the definitions of support.

Some synonyms for a physical support, especially in architecture, include:

• Backing
• Base
• Buttress
• Cornerstone
• Foundation
• Pillar
• Prop
• Reinforcement

Be sure the word you’re using has the correct definition. For example, a pillar and a cornerstone are both types of support, but they are not the same thing.

Now, let’s look at some related words for support when you are referring to immaterial assistance:

• Aid
• Back up
• Care
• Crutch
• Encouragement
• Protection

Finally, here are some words you might use when you’re talking about support as the basic things needed for survival:

• Allowance
• Provision
• Relief
• Responsibility
• Subsistence
• Upkeep

Some of these synonyms can stand in for more than one meaning of the word support. For example, aid often refers to both material and immaterial assistance.

Support Antonym Options

What about the opposite of support? Antonyms are words that have opposing meanings. Here are some common antonyms for support:

• Block/Blockage
• Destroy
• Disapproval
• Discourage
• Hinder/Hindrance
• Hurt
• Injure/Injury
• Stop/Stoppage
• Oppose
• Ruin
• Wreck

Examples of Support Synonyms Used in Sentences

Let’s check out a few examples of sentences using support and its synonyms.

• Will our allies provide support in this military operation?
• Will our allies provide back up in this military operation?

Here’s an example of support referring to a physical structure:

• The restoration team realized the cathedral needed new supports on the walls.
• The restoration team realized the cathedral needed new buttresses on the walls.

Now, let’s check out some examples of the verb form of support.

• My parents supported me until I graduated college.
• My parents funded my necessities until I graduated college.

Here’s one last example that refers to providing emotional support:

• Thank you for supporting me when I spoke out against the unjust policies.
• Thank you for standing with me when I spoke out against the unjust policies.

Did you know you can use ProWritingAid to find synonyms and other closely related words? To find synonyms, you can click on any word when you’re using the web extension, online tool, or Microsoft Word add-in.

In the web editor, you can also use the Word Explorer. Click on a word, and underneath the synonyms click Word Explorer.

From there, you can find synonyms, antonyms, contextually related words, rhymes, and more.

Synonyms provide variety in writing, making it easier and more enjoyable to read. But, be sure to choose the right word when you’re finding synonyms for your overused words.

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