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.

---

Martial ² American  

[mahr-shuhl] / ˈmɑr ʃəl /

noun

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

---

Martial ¹ British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to Mars

---

Martial ² British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

noun

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

---

martial ³ British  

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

adjective

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

---

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 bespectacled and diminutive officer became military chief in 2011, as Myanmar broke with its history of iron-fisted martial rule and began its latest experiment with democracy.

From Barron's

It is possible that viewers with more martial experience enjoy the intricacies of military hardware, but for me, the appeal is in their baffling complexity.

From The Wall Street Journal

The martial vocabulary of his books with titles like “The Bloody Crossroads,” “Why We Are in Vietnam” and “World War IV” was striking when American cultural elites were retreating from military engagement.

From The Wall Street Journal

Politicians across the region have warned that re-instilling a martial mindset into the public, accompanied by an explanation of the difficult spending trade-offs ahead, is a challenge.

From The Wall Street Journal

The 1992 courtroom drama, A Few Good Men, concerned the court martial of two marines for the death of a fellow soldier.

From BBC