BUTTES Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

buttes

noun

plural of butte

as in cliffs

a type of hill with a flat top and steep sides that is found in the southwestern U.S. The otherworldly sandstone buttes of Monument Valley, Arizona are well worth a visit.

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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 buttes The $450 million carbon-neutral library blends seamlessly into the rolling buttes. — Alicia Underlee Nelson, Midwest Living, 7 Aug. 2026 Each summer, runners carry prayers more than 50 miles from the town of Bluff, Utah, to the high country below the buttes, and the White Mesa Ute community beside the monument holds its Bear Dance each year. — Kerri J. Malloy, The Conversation, 23 July 2026 Today, visitors can spot wildlife like bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and black-footed ferrets among the sharply eroded buttes. — Scott Bay, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026 From the layer-cake buttes of Badlands National Park to the winding canyons of the Black Hills, this part of South Dakota is legendary. — Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 July 2026 The unique red rock buttes often show up in movies, calendars and magazines. — Staff, USA Today, 8 June 2026 The kitchen turns out whimsical bar food, like Mexican pizza, and wall art depicts the buttes and cacti of the Seussian desert. — Chris Malloy, Bon Appetit Magazine, 14 Apr. 2026 Alaska runs along a ridge just outside of Arches National Park, offering long-range views of the park’s towers and buttes across the Salt Valley. — Graham Averill, Outside, 28 Mar. 2026 As Arizona yielded to New Mexico, the dirt seemed to get redder and the ridges rose to form buttes. — Tribune News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttes

Noun

Nattai National Park is only around 50 miles from Sydney as the crow flies, but is known for its rugged terrain and giant sandstone cliffs.

— Jack Guy, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
The defining feature of the property is its location directly on the Blue Flag–awarded Glyfada Beach, at the base of dramatic cliffs dotted with pine forests.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of cliffs

Noun

As the plane descends, a lush landscape of verdant mountains that flow down into charming villages, beaches, and the crystal-clear waters beyond appears.

— Connor Sturges, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Aug. 2026
As glaciers and permafrost — the frozen soil sediment and rock that acts like a glue holding mountains together — melt due to higher temperatures caused by climate change, the threat of landslides is rising in the Swiss Alps.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of mountains

Noun

From coast to coast, the United States is dotted with sweeping coastal vistas, sparkling lakes, verdant national parks, towering mountains, majestic mesas and countless scenic roads that connect east to west and north to south.

— Rebecca R. Norris, USA Today, 22 July 2026
Beginning in the late 1960s, artists abandoned galleries in favour of deserts, salt flats, mesas, and remote terrain, using these surroundings as both setting and material.

— Lara Johnson-Wheeler, Vogue, 3 July 2026

Definition of mesas

Noun

My walk took me over the peaks and ridges of the Eastern highlands, on a narrow footpath that rose and fell thousands of feet in the course of an average day.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Aug. 2026
Ivan was married, with two children, and worked as the curator of a small museum that collected artifacts from the eastern highlands, like masks and shields.

— Rachel Aviv, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of highlands

Noun

That momentum intensified into 2026 before reversing sharply in recent weeks, leaving the four stocks roughly 20% to 40% below their late-June peaks.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 21 Aug. 2026
Other factors could be driving down enrollment The Heritage Foundation’s Sheffield says that some of the drop in SNAP use is likely a natural decline after peaks in the pandemic era.

— Geoff Mulvihill, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of peaks

Browse Nearby Words

buttery

buttes

butt heads

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“Buttes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttes. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of buttes

noun

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