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

Upon martyrdom, they were catapulted into the embrace of God. —Amir Ahmadi Arian, The Dial, 10 June 2025

With a subtle widening of his eyes and smiling curl of his lips, Denzel Washington conveyed a sense not of fear but of relief—that the martyrdom Malcolm had so long envisioned had finally come. —CBS News, 2 May 2025

Around this time, your ruler Jupiter, currently in Cancer, squares both Saturn and Neptune in Aries, activating your self-sector and pushing you to be more honest about your patterns of escapism or martyrdom. —Dossé-Via Trenou, Refinery29, 29 May 2025

The student sent the informant an ISIS video calling for the killing of Jews, directions on how to record a martyrdom video, a video tutorial on bomb-making, and suggested targeting the Israeli consulate. —The Editors, National Review, 24 Dec. 2024

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