martyr

[ mahr-ter ]

/ ˈmɑr tər /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR martyr ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce his or her religion.

a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause: a martyr to the cause of social justice.

a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering: a martyr to severe headaches.

a person who seeks sympathy or attention by feigning or exaggerating pain, deprivation, etc.

verb (used with object)

to make a martyr of, especially by putting to death.

to torment or torture.

QUIZZES

This Word Of The Day Quiz Is Far From Thersitical

Have you mastered the meaning of phronesis? How about plethoric? Take the quiz on the words from the week of February 17 to 23 to find out.

Question 1 of 7

Lincolnesque

without interest or significance; dull; insipid.

like or characteristic of Abraham Lincoln.

very high or tall; lofty.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby martyr

martinson, martinsville, martinů, martlet, martnet, martyr, martyrdom, martyrium, martyrize, martyrology, martyry

Origin of martyr

before 900; (noun) Middle English marter, Old English martyr < Late Latin < Late Greek mártyr, variant of Greek mártys, mártyros witness; (v.) Middle English martiren, Old English martyrian, derivative of noun

OTHER WORDS FROM martyr

mar·tyr·ish, adjectivemar·tyr·ly, adverb, adjectiveun·mar·tyred, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for martyr

Conservative Muslim women in Turkey hailed Esme as a martyr and a symbol of female strength and resistance.
Allah, Mom, and Baklava: Turkish President Uses Mothers and Kids as Political Pawns|Xanthe Ackerman|November 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He informed her that Hamzat had “become a shahid,” a martyr, and he was dead.
The Secret Life of an ISIS Warlord|Will Cathcart, Vazha Tavberidze, Nino Burchuladze|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With that, writes historian Edward Larson, “The fundamentalist movement acquired a martyr.”
The Scopes Monkey Trial 2.0: It’s Not About the Stupid Science-Deniers|Michael Schulson|July 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“Claiming that moderation in a time of such crisis is no virtue,” the martyr of American Russian studies declared.
Meet the Anti-Semites, Truthers, and Alaska Pol at D.C.’s Pro-Putin Soiree|James Kirchick|June 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA), the House Armed Services Committee chairman, cast Cantor as a martyr for his party.
Republicans Panicked After Eric Cantor Loss: ‘This Is Like Robespierre’|Ben Jacobs, Tim Mak|June 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And instead of receiving military promotion he became a martyr.
The Influence of the Bible on Civilisation|Ernst Von Dobschutz
One of the boating men made a martyr of himself and took the mother.
Original Short Stories, Volume 12 (of 13)|Guy de Maupassant
They took with them a relic, supposed to be the body of St. Clement of Rome, a martyr.
Curiosities of Christian History|Croake James
He was sent out on a mission to the East Indies and Japan, and gave himself to the work with a martyr's devotion.
The Story of the Hymns and Tunes|Theron Brown and Hezekiah Butterworth
He was wearing an expression of beatific patience; he would have made a fine study for a picture of the martyr at the stake.
The Deluge|David Graham Phillips

British Dictionary definitions for martyr

martyr

/ (ˈmɑːtə) /

noun

a person who suffers death rather than renounce his religious beliefs

a person who suffers greatly or dies for a cause, belief, etc

a person who suffers from poor health, misfortune, etche's a martyr to rheumatism

facetious, or derogatory a person who feigns suffering to gain sympathy, help, etc

verb Also: 'martyrˌize, 'martyrˌise (tr)

to kill as a martyr

to make a martyr of

Derived forms of martyr

martyrization or martyrisation, noun

Word Origin for martyr

Old English martir, from Church Latin martyr, from Late Greek martur-, martus witness

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