martial
1 Americannoun
adjective
noun
adjective
Usage
What does martial mean? Martial means relating to war, combat, or military life. It’s most commonly used in the phrases martial arts, martial law, and court-martial.Less commonly, martial can mean warlike or characteristic of a warrior.Example: Most marches originated as martial music that was used to help soldiers march.
Other Word Forms
- martialism noun
- martialist noun
- martially adverb
- martialness noun
- nonmartial adjective
- nonmartially adverb
- nonmartialness noun
- unmartial adjective
Etymology
Origin of martial
1325–75; Middle English < Latin Mārtiālis of, belonging to Mars, equivalent to Mārti- (stem of Mārs ) + -ālis -al 1
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.
But the former military academy student has long shown a fascination for martial trappings, often surrounding himself with soldiers and visiting military sites.
From Barron's
Jadoon, a former martial artist who once worked in the steel fabrication business, has never formally studied art.
From Barron's
On 4 December, 2024, Yoon announced to the nation that he was declaring martial law – plunging South Korea into chaos and setting in motion a series of events that would precipitate his downfall.
From BBC
"The declaration of martial law resulted in enormous social costs, and it is difficult to find any indication that the defendant has expressed remorse for that," the judge said.
From Barron's
After experimenting with mixed martial arts twice - winning two and losing one - Shields has made clear her intention to stick to pugilism for the rest of her career.
From BBC
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.
