building bridges
Creating mutual understanding
Building bridges is working to establish connection or understanding between people or groups who are separated by disagreement, difference, or distance.
The phrase draws on the literal image of spanning a gap: She's good at building bridges between departments that don't usually talk.
Often appears in contexts of diplomacy, reconciliation, or community outreach.
- beamStructural support member
- interdisciplinaryCombining distinct fields
- archCurved spanning structure
- collaborationJoint intellectual work
- open dialogueUnrestricted mutual communication
reaching out · deck · empathy · diplomacy · suspension · common ground · mutual understanding · reconciliation · truss · synthesis · peacemaking · cable · mediation · convergence · span · community engagement · abutment · integration
- figurative actionsbiting tongue, burying hatchet, cutting ties, jumping ship, losing face
- life lessonslesson learned, moral, lessons learned, life lessons, parable
- reconcilingforgiving, apologizing, mending, peacemaking, mediating
- tolerancetolerance, forbearance, patience, understanding, empathy
- outreach activitiesvolunteering, canvassing, fundraising, mentoring, recruiting
building bridgesburning bridges
Ruining relationships irreparably
severing ties · cutting ties · alienating · estranging · backstabbing
building bridgesfanning the flames
Worsening a volatile situation
picking fights · polarizing · antagonizing · warmongering · provoking
building bridgessegregating
Separating by category
isolating · excluding · closing doors · gatekeeping · siloing
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