Dictionary.com

military

[ mil-i-ter-ee ]
/ ˈmɪl ɪˌtɛr i /
See synonyms for military on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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.

SYNONYMS FOR military

3 soldierly, soldierlike, martial.
See synonyms for military on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of military

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

OTHER WORDS FROM military

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Words related to military

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

Example sentences from the Web for military

  • Each parish has its brass band supplied with European instruments, the musicians generally wearing a quasi-military uniform.

    The Inhabitants of the Philippines|Frederic H. Sawyer

  • The first and second lieutenants were soon elected and a quasi-military organization was soon formed.

    Memoirs of Orange Jacobs|Orange Jacobs

  • Captain Bellfield was also at Norwich, having obtained some quasi-military employment there in the matter of drilling volunteers.

    Can You Forgive Her?|Anthony Trollope

  • So far as the Ulstermen were concerned the ridicule of their quasi-military display and equipment never had any sting in it.

    Ulster's Stand For Union|Ronald McNeill

British Dictionary definitions for military

military
/ (ˈmɪlɪtərɪ, -trɪ) /

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 forms of military

militarily, 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