martyrdom

American  

[mahr-ter-duhm] / ˈmɑr tər dəm /

noun

1. the condition, sufferings, or death of a martyr.

2. extreme suffering; torment.

---

ˈmartyrdom British  

/ ˈmɑːtədəm /

noun

1. the sufferings or death of a martyr

2. great suffering or torment

---

Etymology

Origin of martyrdom

First recorded before 900; martyr + -dom

Example Sentences

A Shiite cleric, he lives frugally and was brought up in a religious tradition that reveres martyrdom.

From Barron's

"They rose to martyrdom. Now I walk in their footsteps."

From BBC

This legacy of armed struggle, ideological martyrdom, and anti-imperialist narrative shaped her and her brother.

From The Wall Street Journal

In this triptych, Marat’s martyrdom is a muted centerpiece between grand hope and grander disaster.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Ralph Waldo Emerson saw it, Brown’s death on the scaffold turned him into a “new Saint awaiting his martyrdom, and who, if he shall suffer, will make the gallows glorious like the cross.”

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• persecution