martial

¹ American  

[mahr-shuhl] / ˈmɑr ʃəl /

adjective

1. inclined or disposed to war; warlike.

   The ancient Romans were a martial people.

2. of, suitable for, or associated with war or the armed forces.

   martial music.

   Synonyms:

   soldierly, military

3. characteristic of or befitting a warrior.

   a martial stride.

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Martial ² American  

[mahr-shuhl] / ˈmɑr ʃəl /

noun

1. Marcus Valerius Martialis, a.d. 43?–104?, Roman epigrammatist, born in Spain.

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Martial ¹ British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to Mars

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Martial ² British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

noun

1. full name Marcus Valerius Martialis. ?40–?104 _ad , Latin epigrammatist and poet, born in Spain

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martial ³ British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of war, soldiers, or the military life

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Usage

What does martial mean? Martial means relating to war, combat, or military life. It’s most commonly used in the phrases martial arts, martial law, and court-martial.Less commonly, martial can mean warlike or characteristic of a warrior.Example: Most marches originated as martial music that was used to help soldiers march.

Other Word Forms

• martialism noun
• martialist noun
• martially adverb
• martialness noun
• nonmartial adjective
• nonmartially adverb
• nonmartialness noun
• unmartial adjective

Etymology

Origin of martial

1325–75; Middle English < Latin Mārtiālis of, belonging to Mars, equivalent to Mārti- (stem of Mārs ) + -ālis -al ¹

Example Sentences

The other most celebrated role in the play is Coriolanus’ mother, Volumnia, whose pride in her son’s martial prowess borders on bloodthirstiness.

From The Wall Street Journal

The first time Weston broke his back it ended a promising career in the martial art for the 28-year-old, but bizarrely it turned out to be a blessing.

From Barron's

Kyiv last year launched a working group of politicians and military official to look at how elections could be held after martial law is lifted.

From Barron's

Singh has a long association with taekwondo and has taught the martial art for years.

From BBC

The research, titled 'Multi-isotope biographies and identities of victims of martial victory celebrations in Neolithic Europe', was published in Science Advances and co-authored by Dr. Teresa Fernández-Crespo and Professor Rick Schulting.

From Science Daily