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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 buttes Thompson’s work is more personal, painted from the perspective of a hiker passing through an open space, looking up and around at the buttes and the flora, exploring unspoiled ground in search of some spiritual connection to nature. — Ray Mark Rinaldi, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for buttes

Noun

Travelers familiar with Scotland’s Isle of Skye may recognize this recipe for remote luxury, though rather than craggy cliffs and emerald-green glens, Noirmoutier is closer to a little slice of California.

— Laura Dannen Redman, Robb Report, 15 Oct. 2026
White Beach, in front of a backdrop of chalky cliffs, is accessible exclusively by boat.

— Rick Steves, Washington Post, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of cliffs

Noun

Its elevated setting offers sweeping views across the surrounding countryside towards Gibraltar and, on clear days, the mountains of North Africa.

— Jamie Carter, Space.com, 18 Oct. 2026
The first segment of the new season, hosted by Norah O’Donnell, was about a fighter pilot, code-named Bravo, whose plane was shot down over mountains in Iran.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of mountains

Noun

The scenery today, red rocks and flat mesas, could pass for Utah and our hike feels like a geologic safari with Nouri pointing out rock formations that resemble elephants and camels.

— Jen Murphy, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Oct. 2026
Inspired by the region’s terrain of flat desert basins, mesas, and canyons, residents of New Mexico are drawn to this shade the most.

— Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 15 Sep. 2026

Definition of mesas

Noun

After posting a picture on a random rock in the Turkish highlands on Instagram, Salah has transformed the spot into a tourist attraction, with droves of fans making the pilgrimage.

— Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Several factors were in place to trigger the collapse of PLC forces on the Red Sea coast that are not in place for the southwest highlands.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of highlands

Noun

European natural gas futures have not yet reached the record peaks seen during the 2022 energy crisis triggered by the Russia-Ukraine conflict, when prices briefly touched 300 euros per megawatt-hour.

— , CNBC, 14 Oct. 2026
In Sun Valley, Idaho, guests are privy to an encounter with mountaineer Ed Viesturs, known for climbing all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks without supplemental oxygen.

— Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of peaks

Browse Nearby Words

buttery

buttes

butt heads

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Buttes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/buttes. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of buttes

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

compunction

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes