military
Americanadjective
-
of, for, or pertaining to the army or armed forces, often as distinguished from the navy.
from civilian to military life.
-
of, for, or pertaining to war.
military preparedness.
-
of or relating to soldiers.
-
befitting, characteristic of, or noting a soldier.
a military bearing.
-
following the life of a soldier.
a military career.
-
performed by soldiers.
military duty.
noun
-
militaries,
plural
-
military
plural
adjective
-
of or relating to the armed forces (esp the army), warlike matters, etc
-
of, characteristic of, or about soldiers
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
militarinessnoun
-
antimilitaryadjective
-
nonmilitaryadjective
-
premilitaryadjective
-
promilitaryadjective
-
pseudomilitaryadjective
-
quasi-militaryadjective
-
supermilitaryadjective
-
unmilitaryadjective
-
militarilyadverb
-
pseudomilitarilyadverb
-
unmilitarilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of military
1575–85; < Latin mīlitāri ( s ), equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles ) soldier + -āris -ary
Explanation
Ten, hut! So you'd like the definition of military? Yes, Sir! The adjective military is used to describe anything related to the armed forces or soldiers. Stemming from the Latin word for "soldier," military is a word that goes hand in hand with war. It's the military that protects a country's interests, lead by generals and powered by brave soldiers. When used as an adjective, military describes anything that's related to, well, the military: salutes, campaigns, uniforms, etc.
Vocabulary lists containing military
Veterans Day Vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Fighting Words: Belli and Milit
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
Now, at the academy, cadets had to fork over to leave the compound, take longer vacations or choose their military base after graduation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Scientists knew that whoever succeeded could gain an unprecedented military advantage.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026
Back in Moscow, Artyom was held in a military detention facility but managed to escape.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
UN experts said in their report that Kisangani was serving as a new hub for the deployment of private military companies.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
To save money, the captain had arranged for them to stay in military housing.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
"That's part of what militaries do," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
By contrast the Laos centre will likely be used exclusively by the Laotian and Chinese militaries, Koh said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Our two militaries should maintain regular dialogue, and improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention,” he continued, adding a historical reference to rising powers challenging established ones: “The Thucydides trap can be overcome.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 24, 2026
That foresees a world of disrupted trade through tariffs and conflicts over chokepoints, more costly onshoring and less immigration, while political systems test the limits of spending to fund their militaries.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
Since then it has backed Yemen’s internationally recognized government and led the coalition of Arab militaries that supported its fight against the militants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
