military

[mil-i-ter-ee]

adjective

1. of, for, or pertaining to the army or armed forces, often as distinguished from the navy.

   from civilian to military life.

2. of, for, or pertaining to war.

   military preparedness.

3. of or relating to soldiers.

   Synonyms: martial, soldierly

4. befitting, characteristic of, or noting a soldier.

   a military bearing.

5. following the life of a soldier.

   a military career.

6. performed by soldiers.

   military duty.

noun

plural

militaries, military 

1. 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.

military

/ ˈmɪlɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

1. of or relating to the armed forces (esp the army), warlike matters, etc

2. of, characteristic of, or about soldiers

noun

1. the armed services (esp the army)

Other Word Forms

• militarily adverb
• militariness noun
• antimilitary adjective
• nonmilitary adjective
• premilitary adjective
• promilitary adjective
• pseudomilitarily adverb
• pseudomilitary adjective
• quasi-military adjective
• supermilitary adjective
• unmilitarily adverb
• unmilitary adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of military¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of military¹

C16: via French from Latin mīlitāris, from mīles soldier

Example Sentences

China’s commerce ministry said that applications for products with military uses would rarely be approved and those for semiconductors or artificial intelligence systems would be reviewed case by case.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign on Iran, striking nuclear and military facilities as well as residential areas and killing more than 1,000 people.

Read more on Barron's

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia erupted in July into the deadliest military clashes in decades, killing more than 40 people and forcing around 300,000 to flee their homes.

Read more on Barron's

Airport disruptions, for instance, generally fall under the jurisdiction of homeland security authorities or interior ministries, but can require the protection of militaries.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“China’s export controls are not export bans,” the ministry said, while adding the new rule was intended to target military end-uses, not the broader civilian applications that have rattled global markets.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• army 
• force 
• navy 
• service 
• troop