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

• 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

Taking its name from the 2002 HBO documentary about mixed-martial artist Mark Kerr, this film stars Johnson as the two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion. —Tolly Wright, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025

Andrew Koji as Ryu British actor and martial artist Andrew Koji will costar alongside Centineo as the heroic Ryu, Ken's best pal and another veteran of the original Street Fighter game. —Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Sep. 2025

Tuesday also marked a scheduled bench trial appearance for the professional mixed martial artist, but the state of New Mexico filed a nolle prosequi, which formally dismissed the case. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 3 Sep. 2025

The unified policy from various motion trackers lets the humanoid handle dynamic manoeuvres on demand, from martial-art kicks to dance spins. —Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 1 Sep. 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