military
Americanadjective
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of, for, or pertaining to the army or armed forces, often as distinguished from the navy.
from civilian to military life.
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of, for, or pertaining to war.
military preparedness.
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of or relating to soldiers.
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befitting, characteristic of, or noting a soldier.
a military bearing.
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following the life of a soldier.
a military career.
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performed by soldiers.
military duty.
noun
adjective
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of or relating to the armed forces (esp the army), warlike matters, etc
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of, characteristic of, or about soldiers
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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militarinessnoun
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antimilitaryadjective
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nonmilitaryadjective
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premilitaryadjective
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promilitaryadjective
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pseudomilitaryadjective
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quasi-militaryadjective
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supermilitaryadjective
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unmilitaryadjective
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militarilyadverb
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pseudomilitarilyadverb
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unmilitarilyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing military
Veterans Day Vocabulary
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Fighting Words: Belli and Milit
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Franklin D. Roosevelt, "A Date That Will Live In Infamy" (1941)
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Pentagon chief argued that if approved, the funding would be a "generational investment" that would make sure the US avoided "playing catch-up" and would keep the American military ahead of others.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
A day earlier, the military identified two US service members killed in action in Jordan as Pfc Isabella Gonzales, 19, and 1st Lt Tyler Feehan, 25.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
More than anyone, Federov is seen by many as driving innovation in the military, gradually improving Ukraine's chances of beating back its numerically superior enemy.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
In the absence of a formal constitution, Israel has built an informal system of checks and balances—the judiciary, the military, the intelligence services and the press.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
“These must be passed upon by the police chief and the military overcommand together,” he said.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Australia and Fiji said other Pacific countries with militaries can join the alliance.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
It is fundamentally different from how Western militaries, with their centralized defense budgets, operate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 2026
The announcement comes despite calls for Europe to integrate its fragmented militaries more closely as geopolitical turmoil worsens.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
This appeals to militaries that sometimes need to get spy satellites into space quickly.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
They can band together to form corporations - which operate like private militaries or shipping companies.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
