martial

adjective

mar·​tial ˈmär-shəl 

1

: of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior

martial music

a martial tone of voice

—Tim Appelo

martial prowess

2

: relating to an army or to military life

martial discipline

stories of martial tradition

—Ewen Macaskill

3

: experienced in or inclined to war : warlike

Its martial people fought the British to a standstill …

—Mary Anne Weaver

martially

ˈmär-shə-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

Martial and Roman Mythology

Mars was the Roman god of war and one of the patron gods of Rome itself. He was responsible for everything military, from warriors to weapons to marching music. Thus, martial arts are skills of combat and self-defense also practiced as sport. When martial law is declared, a country's armed forces take over the functions of the police. And a court-martial is a military court or trial.

Synonyms of martial

• military

Examples of martial in a Sentence

the marching band played “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and several other martial airs

one of the basic tenets of martial law

Recent Examples on the Web

After the two action stars famously feuded while working on the Fast & Furious movies and then apparently squashed their beef, Diesel is praising Johnson and his recent performance in The Smashing Machine, the unflinching biopic about mixed martial artist Mark Kerr. —Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Nov. 2025

But the threats of sedition charges and courts martial in response are also crazy. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 25 Nov. 2025

His son fooling about with a taxi would not have amused Malik Kamal Sahib, who was a real Awan Malik, that martial landowning race. —Daniyal Mueenuddin, New Yorker, 23 Nov. 2025

Here, these martial artists kept ancestral homes and honed their crafts, training to become some of the best in the world. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 14 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin martialis of Mars, from Mart-, Mars

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing martial

• court-martial
• drumhead court-martial
• martial art
• martial law
• mixed martial arts

Rhymes for martial

• marshal
• parshall
• partial
• impartial

Kids Definition

martial

adjective

mar·​tial ˈmär-shəl 

1

: of, relating to, or suited for war or a warrior

martial music

2

: of or relating to an army or to military life

martial discipline

martially

-shə-lē 

adverb

Etymology

Middle English martial "relating to or suited for war," from Latin martialis "of Mars," from Mars "god of war"

Biographical Definition

Martial

biographical name

Mar·​tial ˈmär-shəl 

circa a.d. 40–circa 103 Marcus Valerius Martialis Roman epigrammatist