mainstay

Definitions

A person or thing on which something else is based or depends.

A chief support or principal reliance.

The most important part of something.

Examples

Agriculture remains the mainstay of the country's economy.

The local bakery has been a mainstay of the neighborhood for over fifty years.

Synonyms

pillar cornerstone backbone foundation linchpin anchor support

Antonyms

weakness minority peripheral unimportant nonessential detriment instability