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

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

More clear-eyed now, Jean must reject her martyrdom and reclaim her own truth and agency. —Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

That is hardly a cause worthy of martyrdom. —Fintan O’Toole, The New York Review of Books, 9 Apr. 2026

In schools, the war is taught in such a way as to instill the values of resistance and martyrdom in children, as well as a distrust of America and the West. —Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 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