martyr

American  

[mahr-ter] / ˈmɑr tər /

noun

1. a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce their religion.

2. a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause.

   Her death has made her a martyr to the cause of social justice.

3. a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering.

   The patient was a martyr to severe headaches.

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

---

verb (used with object)

1. to persecute for supporting a belief or cause, especially by putting to death.

2. to torment or torture.

martyr British  

/ ˈmɑːtə /

noun

1. a person who suffers death rather than renounce his religious beliefs

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

3. a person who suffers from poor health, misfortune, etc

   he's a martyr to rheumatism

4. facetious a person who feigns suffering to gain sympathy, help, etc

---

verb

1. to kill as a martyr

2. to make a martyr of

Other Word Forms

• martyrish
  adjective
• martyrization
  noun
• martyrly
  adverb
• unmartyred
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of martyr

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun martir, marter, Old English martyr from Old French and Late Latin, from Late Greek mártyr, dialect variant of Greek mártys, mártyros “witness”; verb derivative of noun

Explanation

Someone who suffers, or is even killed, for his or her political or religious beliefs is called a martyr. Martin Luther King Jr. is often called a martyr in connection with the American civil rights movement. A martyr is also someone who chooses to be put to death rather than renounce his or her religious beliefs, as the story of Saint Stephen tells. In the figurative sense, if you are a martyr to headaches, you suffer from them. Sometimes, martyr is used negatively to refer to someone who chooses to suffer when there is no need to do so.

Example Sentences

One of them, Martyr Street School, was already the subject of a demolition order when the society held its first meeting in October 1973.

From BBC • Oct. 5, 2023

The $15.5 million awarded to David Boniface, Juders Yseme, and Nissage Martyr includes $11 million in punitive damages, according to their lawyers at the human rights group the Center for Justice and Accountability.

From Reuters • Mar. 21, 2023

Ysemé was blinded in one eye, while Martyr lost a leg, according to the suit.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 20, 2023

Alvero’s daughter had her wedding at St. Stephen Martyr a few years ago, said Martha Sanchez, a parishioner at Friday night’s service.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 28, 2023

In 1493 Peter Martyr described Columbus as returning from ‘the Western Antipodes’.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• scapegoat