military

American  

[mil-i-ter-ee] / ˈmɪl ɪˌtɛr i /

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.

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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 British  

/ ˈmɪlɪtərɪ, -trɪ /

adjective

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

2. of, characteristic of, or about soldiers

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noun

1. the armed services (esp the army)

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of military

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

Explanation

Ten, hut! So you'd like the definition of military? Yes, Sir! The adjective military is used to describe anything related to the armed forces or soldiers. Stemming from the Latin word for "soldier," military is a word that goes hand in hand with war. It's the military that protects a country's interests, lead by generals and powered by brave soldiers. When used as an adjective, military describes anything that's related to, well, the military: salutes, campaigns, uniforms, etc.

Example Sentences

He had samples of the vaccine sent to the chaplain of Congress, who helped circulate it in the military.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Home Office Minister Alex Norris said the fall was due to increased removals of people with no right to stay in the UK and housing others in alternative sites such as military barracks.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

It said that a US proposal to grant American military aircraft access over Indonesian airspace was being "carefully reviewed".

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

“In practical terms,” Hsu told me, “that could strengthen Beijing’s bargaining posture by suggesting there is still political space for ‘peaceful’ engagement on its terms, even while Chinese military pressure continues.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

Air Force’s Strategic Air Command—with its bomber fleet, flight crews, hydrogen bombs, and missiles—into the most powerful military force in human history.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

Related Words

• army
• force
• navy
• service
• troop