martyrdom
noun
mar·tyr·dom
| \ ˈmär-tər-dəm
\
\
Definition of martyrdom
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 martyrdom …— Andrew Sullivan
2
: affliction, torture
Examples of martyrdom in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As claims to martyrdom go, a troll kicked off Twitter for posting naughty memes sounds not quite on par with the burning of Saint Antipas in ancient Rome. — Avi Selk, Washington Post, "How deplatforming became a rallying cry for right-wing media stars," 11 July 2019 Other emails detailed his interest in martyrdom and the caliphate, according to documents filed in federal court. — Dallas News, "Dallas man accused of joining ISIS as a teen extradited from Syria to stand trial," 1 Aug. 2019 The mullahs’ clenched fists, slogans of martyrdom, and staged demonstrations shouldn’t be confused with real power. — Reuel Marc Gerecht And Ray Takeyh, WSJ, "America Can Face Down a Fragile Iran," 16 June 2019 Copts believe that Mark’s teachings attracted controversy and eventually led to his martyrdom around A.D. 68. — National Geographic, "Ancient Egypt gave rise to one of the world's oldest Christian faiths," 19 Apr. 2019 Allegations of anti-government plotting, jihad and martyrdom at the compound stocked with guns — drawn in part from FBI interviews with children — has done little to persuade judges of any immediate threat to public safety. — Lucia I. Suarez Sang, Fox News, "Children found in 'extremist Muslim' compound to remain in foster care despite parents' dismissed charges," 31 Aug. 2018 Unsurprisingly, red is associated with sacrifice, blood, martyrdom, and fire. — Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, "The Surprising Meaning Behind Easter Colors," 22 Mar. 2019 On that day, the white supremacists are said to take the ferry over to commemorate the martyrdom of a hero to their cause. — Erik Lacitis, The Seattle Times, "‘Bucolic’ Whidbey Island surprised at skinhead headlines — and recent Lynnwood assault," 31 Dec. 2018 Taft’s predecessor, Teddy Roosevelt, would have been gaudily masculine in his martyrdom. — Lance Morrow, WSJ, "Did Chivalry Go Down With the Titanic?," 14 Dec. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'martyrdom.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for martyrdom
martyrdom
noun
English Language Learners Definition of martyrdom
: the suffering and death of a martyr
See the full definition for martyrdom in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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