martyrdom
Americannoun
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the sufferings or death of a martyr
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great suffering or torment
Etymology
Origin of martyrdom
Explanation
Suffering or dying for your beliefs, that’s martyrdom, and while it doesn’t sound pleasant, some people feel it’s a great honor. The root of martyrdom is the Greek word martur, which means “witness"; the suffix -dom means “state or condition.” In a religious context, people who experience martyrdom bear witness for their faith and suffer or die because of their beliefs. Some people falsely claim martyrdom as a way to get attention, like your brother who whines about doing chores because his pinkie hurts.
Vocabulary lists containing martyrdom
"Musée des Beaux Arts" by W.H. Auden
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"Musee des Beaux Arts," Vocabulary from the poem
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Poems 10.4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In the first decades of Soviet communism, Russian Orthodoxy gave a great witness of martyrdom, even as its exiled thinkers enriched Christian theology and fostered ecumenical dialogue.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Devoted Shia Muslims take pride in martyrdom, commemorating the Battle of Karbala in 680 where Hussein was killed by Umayyad caliph Yazid.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Victoria Rios, a curator who works with González, said the artist’s paintings “rewrite the narratives of the past, rewrite the history of martyrdom and place women at the center.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026
It used to rely on a more serious narrative drawing from the martyrdom iconography so deeply rooted in Shia Islam and the Soviet-style, anti-American symbolism of the 1979 revolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
“This dog is Gwenforte, of Ville Sainte-Geneviève. She has been venerated there as a saint ever since her martyrdom ten years ago.”
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
