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.
-
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
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militaries,
plural
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military
plural
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 decisive variable in the war remains military manpower, said Gady, including whether Putin will launch a large-scale mobilization in the coming months to redouble his ground campaign.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The multiple, overlapping security issues mean Nigeria's military and police are overstretched and as a result struggle to tackle the violence.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
On Monday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had claimed the US had "dismantled Iran's military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear programme".
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
A defense industry source told me that the “shock and grief” of Dolly’s death was so profound that it lit up military communications channels.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
All of Jimmie’s brothers were drafted into the military.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
Boeing makes the Apache attack helicopter for militaries around the world.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Several countries, notably the United States, have voiced alarm in recent years at what they say is hacking activity backed by Beijing targeting their governments, militaries and businesses.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
Since then, Riyadh has backed Yemen’s internationally recognized government and led the coalition of Arab militaries that supported its fight against the militants.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The companies have "long-standing ties to western governments and militaries", the paper explains.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
It is fundamentally different from how Western militaries, with their centralized defense budgets, operate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 7, 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.
