martinet
a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.
someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.
Origin of martinet
1Other words from martinet
- mar·ti·net·ish, adjective
- mar·ti·net·ism, noun
Words Nearby martinet
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
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 | THE DAILY BEASTWhereas Lessard had acted the martinet with MacRae, he took another tack and became the very essence of affability toward me.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThe 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. WestermanNewspapers wrote of him that, "a martinet to subordinates, he was known for the most unruly of lieutenants."
Lord Ormont and his Aminta, Complete | George MeredithThough 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
/ (ˌmɑːtɪˈnɛt) /
a person who maintains strict discipline, esp in a military force
Origin of martinet
1Derived forms of martinet
- martinetish, adjective
- martinetism, noun
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
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