martyr

[ mahr-ter ]

noun

1. a person who willingly suffers death rather than renounce their religion.
2. a person who is put to death or endures great suffering on behalf of any belief, principle, or cause:

   Her death has made her a martyr to the cause of social justice.

3. a person who undergoes severe or constant suffering:

   The patient was a martyr to severe headaches.

4. a person who seeks sympathy or attention by feigning or exaggerating pain, deprivation, etc.

verb (used with object)

1. to persecute for supporting a belief or cause, especially by putting to death.
2. to torment or torture.

martyr

/ ˈmɑːtə /

noun

1. a person who suffers death rather than renounce his religious beliefs
2. a person who suffers greatly or dies for a cause, belief, etc
3. a person who suffers from poor health, misfortune, etc

   he's a martyr to rheumatism

4. facetious.
   a person who feigns suffering to gain sympathy, help, etc

verb

1. to kill as a martyr
2. to make a martyr of

Derived Forms

• ˌmartyriˈzation, noun

Other Words From

• martyr·ish adjective
• martyr·ly adverb adjective
• un·martyred adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of martyr¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun martir, marter, Old English martyr from Old French and Late Latin, from Late Greek mártyr, dialect variant of Greek mártys, mártyros “witness”; verb derivative of noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of martyr¹

Old English martir, from Church Latin martyr, from Late Greek martur-, martus witness

Example Sentences

Larraín makes a half-hearted attempt to recast Callas as a feminist martyr, alleging, as obliquely as possible, that she was once forced to trade her body to soldiers for cash and food.

From Los Angeles Times

“May God have mercy on our martyrs. The resistance is a source of honour and pride for us. Without its existence, there would be no homeland, no south, nothing.”

From BBC

“The cease-fire, of course, is a victory for the blood of the martyrs,” said Manal Hamadeh, 49, referring to Hezbollah militants who died fighting Israel.

From New York Times

There’s righteousness there that’s hard to ignore, and it’s made Bonhoeffer, the author of dozens of books before his death, a figure of admiration and a martyr to many.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr Jahangir said the three people were accused of “committing espionage for the occupying regime of Israel” and “transporting equipment into Iran for the assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh under the guise of smuggling alcoholic beverages”.

From BBC

Related Words

• victim