martinet

[ mahr-tn-et, mahr-tn-et ]

/ ˌmɑr tnˈɛt, ˈmɑr tnˌɛt /

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noun

a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.

someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.

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Origin of martinet

1670–80; after General Jean Martinet (died 1672), French inventor of a system of drill

OTHER WORDS FROM martinet

mar·ti·net·ish, adjectivemar·ti·net·ism, noun

Words nearby martinet

martin, Martina, Martin du Gard, Martineau, Martinelli, martinet, Martinez, Martínez Ruiz, martingale, martini, Martinican

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use martinet in a sentence

Schiano, the former coach at Rutgers, brought a reputation with him as a harsh disciplinarian and a martinet.
Heads Roll in the NFL: The 5 Coaches Who Lost Their Jobs Today|Ben Jacobs|December 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whereas Lessard had acted the martinet with MacRae, he took another tack and became the very essence of affability toward me.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The colonel was absolutely military to the backbone, a martinet even in home life, although "his bark was worse than his bite."
The Dreadnought of the Air|Percy F. Westerman
Newspapers wrote of him that, "a martinet to subordinates, he was known for the most unruly of lieutenants."
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete|George Meredith

Though an officer of the regular army, he brings home to one the fact that the days of the military martinet have gone for ever.
A Traveller in War-Time|Winston Churchill
The first of them was Captain Bulger, an unfortunate martinet, though a man of good conscience and high ideals.
The Romantic Settlement of Lord Selkirk's Colonists|George Bryce

British Dictionary definitions for martinet

martinet

/ (ˌmɑːtɪˈnɛt) /

noun

a person who maintains strict discipline, esp in a military force

Derived forms of martinet

martinetish, adjectivemartinetism, noun

Word Origin for martinet

C17: from French, from the name of General Martinet, drillmaster under Louis XIV

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

martinet

Origin of martinet

OTHER WORDS FROM martinet

Words nearby martinet

Words related to martinet

How to use martinet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for martinet

Derived forms of martinet

Word Origin for martinet