1
as in military
of, relating to, or suitable for war or a warrior
the marching band played "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" and several other martial airs
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in naval
of or relating to the armed services
one of the basic tenets of martial law
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of martial
Sleeping Dog has been decades in the making and chronicles Corbell’s unlikely path from mixed martial artist to a journalist at the center of the battle for disclosure of unidentified anomalous phenomena.
—
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026
Iconic actor and martial artist Chuck Norris died Thursday, March 19, in Hawaii.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
One of America’s most famous martial artists, and certainly the most frequently memed, Norris leveraged his black belt skills to build a successful television and film career.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Chuck Norris, the martial artist and action movie icon whose toughness became an increasingly exaggerated legend among his adoring fans, has died.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for martial
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 27 Mar. 2026
Iconic actor and martial artist Chuck Norris died Thursday, March 19, in Hawaii.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Mar. 2026
One of America’s most famous martial artists, and certainly the most frequently memed, Norris leveraged his black belt skills to build a successful television and film career.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Chuck Norris, the martial artist and action movie icon whose toughness became an increasingly exaggerated legend among his adoring fans, has died.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for martial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martial
Adjective
-
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius was also holding talks with his counterpart, Mykhailo Fedorov, the former Ukrainian digital transformation chief who took up his new post in January and is credited with advancing military drone technology.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
After Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in February, 2022, Colby opposed the Biden Administration’s surge of arms, military assets, and munitions to aid the country in its fight.—
Garrett M. Graff,
New Yorker,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Demining in effect Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deployed numerous naval mines in the waterway in early March to enforce a blockade at the start of the conflict with the US and Israel.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Apr. 2026
-
His comments to reporters at the White House come less than three hours after the US imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and after marathon talks in Pakistan this weekend failed to yield a deal.—
CNN staff,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Cardamom, the museum’s in-house restaurant operated by DDP Restaurant Group, will shift to a counter-service model this week, with customers ordering via their phones rather than through servers.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
13 Apr. 2026
-
In addition to being open for dinner, Seabird also offers coffee and counter-service pastries most days and hosts a weekly happy hour when local oysters are sold for $1 each.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Martial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martial. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
