martinet

mar·ti·net | \ ˌmär-tə-ˈnet

How to pronounce martinet (audio)

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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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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.

Examples of martinet in a Sentence

The prison's warden was a cruel martinet.

Recent Examples on the Web His father, a martinet but also a stabilizing influence, died when Hernandez was in college. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: Here's why the Cincinnati Bengals won't be the 49ers or Chiefs," 21 Jan. 2020 The sovereign, a playboy martinet, demands nothing less. — The Economist, "Thailand’s army chief sees a commie conspiracy to topple the king," 19 Oct. 2019 The Eagle — Culver Creek’s martinet, played by Timothy Simons — then exclaims, foreshadowing the shenanigans the group will get up to along the series. — Sara Delgado, Teen Vogue, "Hulu's "Looking for Alaska" Releases First Full Trailer Starring Kristine Froseth and Charlie Plummer," 12 Sep. 2019 Roberts, a flinty, fastidious martinet with a hardscrabble background and a knack for making himself indispensable to powerful men, befriended Jones and took up the cause. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "Inside the Cultish Dreamworld of Augusta National," 14 June 2019 The Efficiency Paradox What Big Data Can’t Do By Edward Tenner (Knopf; 304 pages; $27.95) Balwani, with whom Holmes was romantically linked, was a martinet in snow-wash jeans. — Stephen Phillips, SFChronicle.com, "New tech books: ‘Bad Blood,’ ‘Live Work Work Work Die,’ ‘The Efficiency Paradox’," 22 June 2018 As a war president, Wilson was both moralist and martinet. — Richard Norton Smith, WSJ, "‘The Moralist’ Review: The High and Rocky Road," 19 Apr. 2018 FloTrack has some April 1st fun with the IAAF rules martinets. — OregonLive.com, "Apparently Drake to stage USATF's 2019 outdoor champs too: Oregon track & field rundown," 1 Apr. 2018 Tuomanen also plays Cassius, a martinet, envious, too ready to take offense, a source of comic energy. — John Timpane, Philly.com, "'Julius Caesar' at Quintessence: Tense, tart, appalling, engrossing," 25 Mar. 2018

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.

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Cite this Entry

“Martinet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martinet. Accessed 13 Jul. 2020.

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