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martyrdom

noun
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mar·​tyr·​dom | \ ˈmär-tər-dəm How to pronounce martyrdom (audio) \

Definition of martyrdom

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 He had been secretly taped plotting attacks and talking about martyrdom as a possibility. — BostonGlobe.com, "Police shot him dead after he flashed what seemed to be a suicide vest. Khan is gone, but the questions remain: Why was he let out early? Did authorities believe he no longer believed in radical Islam? Why didn’t the conditions imposed on his release prevent the carnage?," 2 Dec. 2019 He had been secretly taped plotting attacks and talking about martyrdom as a possibility. — Washington Post, "Focus on early release of terror convict in London stabbings," 1 Dec. 2019 He had been secretly taped plotting attacks and talking about martyrdom as a possibility. — Gregory Katz, chicagotribune.com, "The London Bridge attacker is gone, but questions remain about his early release from prison," 1 Dec. 2019 For many there, Soleimani was a symbol, a folk hero, now enshrined in martyrdom. — CBS News, "Trump says four U.S. embassies were targeted in attack planned by Qassem Soleimani," 10 Jan. 2020 Hussein’s martyrdom is remembered each year on the Shiite Muslim holiday of Ashura. — Deina Abdelkader, The Conversation, "Killing of Soleimani evokes dark history of political assassinations in the formative days of Shiite Islam," 10 Jan. 2020 Hizbullah was the first organisation to weaponise the strong current of martyrdom in Shiism. — The Economist, "After the assassination How Iran can respond to the killing of Qassem Suleimani," 9 Jan. 2020 He had been secretly taped plotting attacks and talking about martyrdom as a possibility. — BostonGlobe.com, "Police shot him dead after he flashed what seemed to be a suicide vest. Khan is gone, but the questions remain: Why was he let out early? Did authorities believe he no longer believed in radical Islam? Why didn’t the conditions imposed on his release prevent the carnage?," 2 Dec. 2019 He had been secretly taped plotting attacks and talking about martyrdom as a possibility. — Washington Post, "Focus on early release of terror convict in London stabbings," 1 Dec. 2019

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

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First Known Use of martyrdom

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

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The first known use of martyrdom was before the 12th century

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Last Updated

7 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Martyrdom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/martyrdom. Accessed 19 Feb. 2020.

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More Definitions for martyrdom

martyrdom

noun
How to pronounce martyrdom (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of martyrdom

: the suffering and death of a martyr

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Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for martyrdom

Spanish Central: Translation of martyrdom

Nglish: Translation of martyrdom for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of martyrdom for Arabic Speakers

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