martyrdom

noun

mar·​tyr·​dom ˈmär-tər-dəm 

1

: the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause and especially to one's religious faith

… defended moral truth even to the point of enduring martyrdom …

—Andrew Sullivan

2

: affliction, torture

Examples of martyrdom in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Several Death Match players were later arrested, imprisoned, and killed, though not in the immediate act of public martyrdom that later retellings of their ordeal sometimes suggest. — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 19 June 2026

Was Pelley going for martyrdom or just angry? — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026

During Muharram a community group will often stage a passion play (taʿziyyah) that reenacts the events of Ḥusayn’s martyrdom. — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 May 2026

Instead, Stewart has chosen to turn her own foolish answers on the tax collector report into a bid for martyrdom. — Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 25 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

martyrdom

noun

mar·​tyr·​dom ˈmärt-ərd-əm 

1

: the sufferings and death of a martyr

2

: torment entry 1 sense 1