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Synonyms

military

American  
[mil-i-ter-ee] / ˈmɪl ɪˌtɛr i /

adjective

  1. of, for, or pertaining to the army or armed forces, often as distinguished from the navy.

    from civilian to military life.

  2. of, for, or pertaining to war.

    military preparedness.

  3. of or relating to soldiers.

    Synonyms:
    martial, soldierly
  4. befitting, characteristic of, or noting a soldier.

    a military bearing.

  5. following the life of a soldier.

    a military career.

  6. performed by soldiers.

    military duty.


noun

plural

militaries, military
  1. the military,

    1. the military establishment of a nation; the armed forces.

    2. military personnel, especially commissioned officers, taken collectively.

      the bar, the press, and the military.

military British  
/ ˈmɪlɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the armed forces (esp the army), warlike matters, etc

  2. of, characteristic of, or about soldiers

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. the armed services (esp the army)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • antimilitary adjective
  • militarily adverb
  • militariness noun
  • nonmilitary adjective
  • premilitary adjective
  • promilitary adjective
  • pseudomilitarily adverb
  • pseudomilitary adjective
  • quasi-military adjective
  • supermilitary adjective
  • unmilitarily adverb
  • unmilitary adjective

Etymology

Origin of military

1575–85; < Latin mīlitāri ( s ), equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles ) soldier + -āris -ary

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.

China continues taking steps to project military power globally, the report says.

From The Wall Street Journal

"He was not just a military leader, but also a symbol who shouldered the responsibility of unifying the institution of the military, and who worked towards a national reconciliation," he told AFP.

From Barron's

Less than one percent of American adults are active-duty service members in the military, with an even smaller fraction of that percentage seeing combat.

From Salon

Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad and four other aides were returning to Tripoli after holding talks in Ankara with Turkish military officials.

From Barron's

Although China’s government sees AI as crucial to the country’s economic and military future, regulations and recent purges of online content show it also fears AI could destabilize society.

From The Wall Street Journal