martial

adjective

mar·tial | \ˈmär-shəl

Definition of martial

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

Martial

biographical name

Mar·tial | \ˈmär-shəl

Definition of Martial (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from martial Synonyms & Antonyms Martial and Roman Mythology More Example Sentences Learn More about martial

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Synonyms & Antonyms for martial

Synonyms: Adjective

military, soldierly

Antonyms: Adjective

unsoldierly

Examples of martial in a Sentence

Adjective

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: Adjective

The Fars video follows a long tradition of martial propaganda films across the Mideast. — Nasser Karimi, The Seattle Times, "Iran video threatens missile strikes on UAE, Saudi Arabia," 25 Sep. 2018 McSally hasn’t shied from contrasting her martial past with Sinema’s, including in an attack ad that compared her service in the Middle East with her rival’s past antiwar activism. — Celeste Katz, Glamour, "In a Record-Breaking Election Year for Women, Here Are the Races to Watch," 17 Sep. 2018 But those songs really are nice — or, in the case of Rabbit and Tigger’s martial anthem about the dangers of Heffalumps, charmingly silly. — Noel Murray, The Verge, "Christopher Robin is a reminder of all the good Pooh movies — including one on Netflix now," 3 Aug. 2018 Image The warrior was a symbol of martial strength, molded from terra cotta and buried more than 2,000 years ago with China’s first emperor to defend him in the afterlife. — Austin Ramzy, New York Times, "American Is Charged With Stealing Terra-Cotta Warrior’s Thumb," 19 Feb. 2018 Elsewhere, the director’s penchant for slow-mo can get a little ridiculous, especially in the martial-arts kicks and medium-wattage car chases. — Michael Phillips, chicagotribune.com, "'Superfly' review: One last score, this time in Atlanta," 12 June 2018 Frequent Lamb’s hand Manny Fernandes, in particular, is endlessly entertaining as the goofball music-shop proprietor Billy, whose martial-arts skills are on a par with his (subpar) success with the ladies. — James Hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "'Once' is a singularly memorable musical trip at Lamb's Players Theatre," 9 June 2018 In spite of official sales estimated at 300m copies, plus multiple spin-off films, television serials and games, the 14 martial-arts epics written by Jin Yong between 1955 and 1972 have remained unknown to most Western readers. — The Economist, "A martial-arts mega-hit finally arrives in English," 22 Feb. 2018 May’s office revealed that martial bands of Scots, Irish and Welsh Guards will welcome Trump at his arrival in the Great Court with rousing renditions of the Liberty Fanfare, Amazing Grace and the National Emblem. — Josh Dawsey, Washington Post, "In Britain, Trump will see castles and the queen and steer clear of protesters," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'martial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.