military

[mil-i-ter-ee]

adjective

of, for, or pertaining to the army or armed forces, often as distinguished from the navy: from civilian to military life.
of, for, or pertaining to war: military preparedness.
of or relating to soldiers.

befitting, characteristic of, or noting a soldier: a military bearing.
following the life of a soldier: a military career.
performed by soldiers: military duty.

noun, plural mil·i·tar·ies, mil·i·tar·y.

the military,
1. the military establishment of a nation; the armed forces.
2. military personnel, especially commissioned officers, taken collectively: the bar, the press, and the military.

Origin of military

1575–85; < Latin mīlitāri(s), equivalent to mīlit- (stem of mīles) soldier + -āris -ary

Related formsmil·i·tar·i·ly

[mil-i-tair-uh-lee, mil-i-ter-uh-lee] /ˌmɪl ɪˈtɛər ə li, ˈmɪl ɪˌtɛr ə li/, adverbmil·i·tar·i·ness, nounan·ti·mil·i·tar·y, adjectivenon·mil·i·tar·y, adjectivepre·mil·i·tar·y, adjectivepro·mil·i·tar·y, adjectivepseu·do·mil·i·tar·i·ly, adverbpseu·do·mil·i·tar·y, adjectivequa·si-mil·i·tar·y, adjectivesu·per·mil·i·tar·y, adjective, nounun·mil·i·tar·i·ly, adverbun·mil·i·tar·y, adjective

Synonyms for military

3. soldierly, soldierlike, martial.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for militaries

navy, force, troop, service, army, fighting, militant, martial, combatant, warmongering, marines, soldiery, aggressive, armed, combative, warlike, militaristic, soldierly

Examples from the Web for militaries

Contemporary Examples of militaries

The Jewish state is one of four that let U.S. citizens in their militaries.
1,000 Americans Are Serving in the Israeli Army and They Aren’t Alone
Chris Allbritton
July 23, 2014
The responsibility of fighting al Qaeda would be left mostly to the Afghan and Pakistani militaries.
Obama’s Counterterror Plan Has New Doubters: His Own Generals and Spies
Josh Rogin, Kimberly Dozier
July 15, 2014
He noted that none of the militaries of the former Soviet republics could withstand a full-scale Russian invasion.
What to Do When Russia Invades Your Country
Eli Lake
May 7, 2014
The U.S. and other militaries use dogs for tasks like detecting IEDs.
Special Ops’ Weapons Wish List
Michael Peck
April 9, 2014
The IDF regularly trains the United States Marine Corps and the militaries of Trinidad and Tobago and Germany.
Where in the World is the IDF?
Sahar Segal
July 5, 2012

British Dictionary definitions for militaries

military

adjective

of or relating to the armed forces (esp the army), warlike matters, etc
of, characteristic of, or about soldiers

noun plural -taries or -tary

the military the armed services (esp the army)

Derived Formsmilitarily, adverb

Word Origin for military

C16: via French from Latin mīlitāris, from mīles soldier

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

Word Origin and History for militaries

military

adj.

mid-15c., from Middle French militaire (14c.), from Latin militaris "of soldiers or war, of military service, warlike," from miles (genitive militis) "soldier," of unknown origin, perhaps ultimately from Etruscan, or else meaning "one who marches in a troop," and thus connected to Sanskrit melah "assembly," Greek homilos "assembled crowd, throng." Related: Militarily. Old English had militisc, from Latin. Military-industrial complex coined 1961 in farewell speech of U.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower.

military

"soldiers generally," 1757, from military (adj.). Earlier, "a military man" (1736).