base 1 of 3

as in to ground
to find a basis she based her argument on careful research

Synonyms & Similar Words

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base

2 of 3

noun

1
2
as in camp
a place from which an advance (as for military operations) is made the army's base of attack was kept top secret until the battle began

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4
as in bottom
the lowest part, place, or point the base of the mountain extends over a huge area make sure the base of the stove rests evenly on the floor

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

5
as in headquarters
the place from which a commander runs operations the army base is three miles down the road

Synonyms & Similar Words

base

3 of 3

adjective

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective base contrast with its synonyms?

The words low and vile are common synonyms of base. While all three words mean "deserving of contempt because of the absence of higher values," base stresses the ignoble and may suggest cruelty, treachery, greed, or grossness.

base motives

When is low a more appropriate choice than base?

The meanings of low and base largely overlap; however, low may connote crafty cunning, vulgarity, or immorality and regularly implies an outraging of one's sense of decency or propriety.

refused to listen to such low talk

Where would vile be a reasonable alternative to base?

In some situations, the words vile and base are roughly equivalent. However, vile, the strongest of these words, tends to suggest disgusting depravity or filth.

a vile remark

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of base
Verb
The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Anderson’s Academy Award-winning short based on the 1977 Roald Dahl short story of the same name, feels like a children’s pop-up book come to life. Shannon Carlin, Time, 30 May 2025 Last year, the Dodgers generated $4.29 million in ticket revenue per regular-season home game, based on figures from MLB’s internal gate report shared with Sportico by a non-Dodgers team. Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 30 May 2025
Noun
Service members stationed at the base are eligible for several pay increases. Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 7 June 2025 The tent body is made of 75-denier ripstop nylon for durability at the base and floor, with 20-denier nylon mesh and 40-denier rainfly (all fabrics are bluesign approved). Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 7 June 2025
Adjective
The Illinois General Assembly has voted to raise lawmaker pay four times in recent years, jumping from a base salary of $70,645 in 2021 to a base salary of $89,250 in 2024 — a raise of more than $18,000. The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025 Raising the base salary to $65,000 would give educators $7,936 more than the median income needed to live in Florida and help the state compete with others averaging more than $70,000 in teacher pay. Lakeisha Wells-Palmer, Sun Sentinel, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for base
Recent Examples of Synonyms for base
Verb
  • Last summer, Walmart grounded drones in Salt Lake City, Tampa and Phoenix, citing a desire to hone in on the Dallas-Forth Worth metro area.
    Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 6 June 2025
  • After another ball, Yelich grounded a ball up the middle that would have scored Chourio had second baseman Jake Cronenworth not ran into the grass to backhand the ball.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 June 2025
Noun
  • The drones were transported to Russia and stored in trucks carrying cargo units with retractable roofs that were parked near the air bases and launched remotely.
    Sonam Sheth, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 June 2025
  • The 2-year yield was more than 2 basis lower, trading at 3.922%.
    Sean Conlon,Sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 3 June 2025
Noun
  • The Packers and Alexander’s camp discussed restructuring a contract that would have paid him $17.5 million this season.
    Rob Reischel, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
  • Carnal, with care – Jis shook the bedrock of the cordial, conservative Guadalajara community with filth, camp and candor.
    Holly Jones, Variety, 9 June 2025
Noun
  • The shifting narratives reflect the anxiety of Angelenos amid ICE raids targeting immigrants at Home Depots, churches and retail centers.
    Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2025
  • Russia has stepped up strikes on Ukrainian urban centers in recent days, and despite Washington urging negotiations, both sides seem as far as ever from progress toward a peace deal, analysts said.
    Ben Smith, semafor.com, 13 June 2025
Noun
  • In the first game, the Dodgers and Astros were tied 2-2 going into the bottom of the 10th.
    Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2025
  • The Orion constellation is at the bottom left, while Jupiter is just left of the center and Venus is on the far right.
    Daisy Dobrijevic, Space.com, 12 June 2025
Adjective
  • Today's extradition is a giant step forward in holding the defendant accountable for his unspeakably reprehensible and vile efforts to spread fear, chaos, and hate.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 May 2025
  • Finally, the mint julep is a vile almost undrinkable beverage.
    John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 3 May 2025
Adjective
  • The humble statement was met with loud protests from all of his onstage colleagues, as well as Armisen.
    Jillian Sederholm, EW.com, 4 June 2025
  • The humble bathroom scale has long been overdue to learn some new tricks.
    Christopher Null, Wired News, 4 June 2025
Verb
  • To coach Tyler Marsh, connecting with this dominant version of Cardoso isn’t just a tactical challenge — it’s entirely predicated on the center’s mental approach.
    Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2025
  • Coming back to the implications of the Supreme Court verdict, regulatory agencies will now be able to have more effective rulemaking without the constant shadow of cascading lawsuits that are predicated on a misapplication of the precautionary principle.
    Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 30 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Base.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/base. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.

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