martinet
Americannoun
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a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.
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someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of martinet
1670–80; after General Jean Martinet (died 1672), French inventor of a system of drill
Explanation
Use the noun martinet to describe someone who is a stickler when it comes to following rules, such as the teacher who won't accept homework if it is written in a color other than blue. Pronounce martinet with the accent on the last syllable: "mar-ti-NET." Jean Martinet, the man for whom the word was coined, would insist you say his name correctly. He was a legendary drillmaster for the French army during the reign of Louis XIV. In 1779, a hundred years after Martinet's death, martinet came to mean any officer who was as strict and demanding in adhering to the rules as Martinet himself.
Vocabulary lists containing martinet
Unit 1: Telling Details
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"An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce
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All Quiet on the Western Front
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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.
Fred Trump, according to Tony Schwartz, who ghostwrote the president’s book “The Art of the Deal,” was “a very brutal guy” — a martinet of a father who shipped his son off to military school.
From Salon ● May 31, 2026
It’s the domain of Uzo Aduba’s Clyde, a glorious creation, an eatery owner of such foul temper she makes culinary martinet Gordon Ramsay seem like a veritable Mr. Rogers.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 23, 2021
In comparison, Schultz comes off as less of a martinet and more of a prig in the trial transcripts.
From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2020
Roberts, a flinty, fastidious martinet with a hardscrabble background and a knack for making himself indispensable to powerful men, befriended Jones and took up the cause.
From The New Yorker ● Jun. 14, 2019
The Quiet One was replaced with a man who was a vicious martinet.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
Definitions 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.
