martyrdom

noun

mar·​tyr·​dom ˈmär-tər-dəm How to pronounce martyrdom (audio)
1
: the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause and especially to one's religious faith
… defended moral truth even to the point of enduring martyrdomAndrew Sullivan
2

Examples of martyrdom in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Fixates on internal feelings of pain and suffering, perpetuating a sense of helplessness and martyrdom. Mark Travers, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 From innocence to experience to triumph, and finally an agonizing martyrdom. Elizabeth Barber, Harper's Magazine, 2 Feb. 2024 Palestinian leaders will have to be empowered who do not have Israeli blood on their hands, willing to renounce the cult of martyrdom destroying their society, but also with ironically enough anti-Israel credentials to have the credibility to negotiate. TIME, 20 Feb. 2024 These images have all the drama of paintings of Catholic martyrdoms. Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 17 Feb. 2024 But if martyrdom were so satisfying, cycling through all its variants would have been more reassuring. Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2024 But his group’s intense combination of victimhood and passion for martyrdom lived on. Sam Kiley, CNN, 14 Oct. 2023 The martyrdom of his supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, and were sent to jail for it. Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 28 Dec. 2023 The intent is required for martyrdom and beatification. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 10 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'martyrdom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of martyrdom was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near martyrdom

Cite this Entry

“Martyrdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyrdom. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

martyrdom

noun
mar·​tyr·​dom ˈmärt-ərd-əm How to pronounce martyrdom (audio)
1
: the sufferings and death of a martyr
2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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