VocabularyBasePractice words

Meaning & use

solidarity

noun·Academic

Last updated

UK/ˌsɒlɪˈdærəti/
US/ˌsɑːləˈdærəti/

Meanings

  1. noununcountable

    A feeling of unity and willingness to support others who share your situation or aims.

    Grammar: No plural; commonly follows 'in' or 'with': stand in solidarity with someone.

    Patterns

    • in solidarity with someone
    • solidarity among people
    • show solidarity

    Neighbors showed solidarity by bringing food to the flooded family.

    The workers stood in solidarity with the striking nurses.

    There was a strong sense of solidarity among the refugees.

  2. noununcountableformal

    Agreement of interests, aims or feeling that holds a group together.

    Grammar: More abstract sense, often about political or social movements.

    Patterns

    • solidarity of something

    The solidarity of the movement grew after the march.

    Political solidarity between the two countries lasted for decades.

    A team's solidarity can be tested by defeat.

Common combinations

in solidarity with
Thousands marched in solidarity with the protesters.
show solidarity
Customers showed solidarity by boycotting the store.
express solidarity
Leaders expressed solidarity with the victims.
sense of solidarity
A sense of solidarity developed among the new students.
international solidarity
International solidarity helped the small country resist pressure.
workers' solidarity
Workers' solidarity won them better pay.

Synonyms and how they differ

unity
Unity means being joined as one, but solidarity adds the idea of actively supporting one another.
togetherness
Togetherness is warm and everyday, while solidarity usually appears in political or social struggles.
camaraderie
Camaraderie describes friendly trust among companions, but it does not suggest a shared cause.
fellowship
Fellowship is a gentler, often religious word for companionship, and implies less need for mutual defense.

Opposites

divisiondisunity

Word family

solid adjective
firm, and by extension united
solidly adverb
in a firm or united way
solidify verb
to become hard, or to strengthen
solidarize verb
rare; to unite in common interest

Commonly confused: solidarity or solitude? solidarity or solidity?

solidarity vs solitude

Solitude is being alone, which is almost the opposite of the togetherness of solidarity.

solidarity vs solidity

Solidity is firmness or strength of a physical thing, not a feeling of unity.

Practice

The airline staff wore black armbands ___ their colleagues who had lost their jobs.

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “solidarity”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Your sentence stays on this page and is not sent anywhere.

Explore more words