martinet

American  

[mahr-tn-et, mahr-tn-et] / ˌmɑr tnˈɛt, ˈmɑr tnˌɛt /

noun

1. a strict disciplinarian, especially a military one.

2. someone who stubbornly adheres to methods or rules.

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martinet British  

/ ˌmɑːtɪˈnɛt /

noun

1. a person who maintains strict discipline, esp in a military force

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Other Word Forms

• martinetish adjective
• martinetism noun

Etymology

Origin of martinet

1670–80; after General Jean Martinet (died 1672), French inventor of a system of drill

Example Sentences

Francis was a remarkable martinet, acting as the club’s traveling secretary and business manager.

From New York Times • Aug. 23, 2021

Her father, an elegant, temperamental martinet, was controlling when he wasn’t completely absent.

From Slate • Feb. 15, 2021

Bedecked in a three-piece suit and gripping a baseball bat in his hands, he struck the stance of a martinet for a portrait that ran on the cover of Time magazine in 1988.

From Washington Post • Dec. 30, 2020

Roberts, a flinty, fastidious martinet with a hardscrabble background and a knack for making himself indispensable to powerful men, befriended Jones and took up the cause.

From The New Yorker • Jun. 14, 2019

As a general, Lot seems to have been a martinet and something of a coward.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White