martinet

noun mar·ti·net \ ˌmär-tə-ˈnet \

Definition of martinet

1 :a strict disciplinarian

The prison's warden was a cruel martinet.

2 :a person who stresses a rigid adherence to the details of forms and methods

a martinet in conducting meetings of the society, he never tolerated any sign of levity or indecorum
—D. J. Boorstin

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Examples of martinet in a Sentence

The prison's warden was a cruel martinet.

Recent Examples of martinet from the Web

The martinet head coach earned back-to-back last-place divisional finishes and the undying enmity of his players.

— jack dickey, SI.com, "The Seven NFL Preseason Hype Stories We See Season After Season After Season...," 23 Aug. 2017
Leith’s commander is Major Brand (Curt Jurgens), a by-the-book martinet married to Jane (Ruth Roman), who is Leith’s former lover and still his beloved.

— richard brody, The New Yorker, "Bitter Victory," 31 Mar. 2017
The Trump administration doesn’t believe in climate change, so some White House martinet ordered the Badlands account to go silent.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "75 Years Later, Internment of Japanese Remains Stain on American History," 15 Feb. 2017
Carl Rasmussen (Roland Moller), a Clark Gable-handsome martinet with a square jaw, a neat blond mustache and very little patience.

— a. o. scott, New York Times, "Review: ‘Land of Mine,’ an Oscar Nominee, Explores Postwar Perils and Ethics," 9 Feb. 2017
Alexander McQueen dipped into the worlds of depressed Victorian clowns in his fall 2001 collection of carnival crashers, putting shredded Miss Havisham lace and tulle gowns and deconstructed martinet suiting on his (literal) fashion merry-go-round.

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "with the headline: The Creepy Clown in Your Closet.," 27 Oct. 2016

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

Did You Know?

When France's King Louis XIV appointed Lieutenant Colonel Jean Martinet to be inspector general of the infantry in the late 17th century, he made a wise choice. As a drillmaster, Martinet trained his troops to advance into battle in precise linear formations and to fire in volleys only upon command, thus making the most effective use of inaccurate muskets - and making the French army one of the best on the continent. He also gave English a new word. Martinet has been used synonymously with "strict disciplinarian" since the 1730s.