1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

martinet

noun

Definition of martinetnext
as in tyrant
formal a person who is very strict and demands obedience from others The prison's warden was a cruel martinet.

Related Words

Relevance

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 martinet His chief antagonist is his caustic first wife, Queen Marguerite (Joy DeMichelle), who operates as a kind of a martinet death doula. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026 There’s Cece’s father, long vanished; Ronnie, a predator; Marcel, a martinet; Joel, a manipulator; and a random catcaller in the street, whom Cece sends scurrying away by turning her acting skills to practical use. — Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024 See All Example Sentences for martinet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martinet
  1. tyrant
  2. dictator
  3. disciplinarian
  4. taskmaster
Noun
  • Plato warned that an unhealthy democracy can easily fall prey to a tyrant.
    — Kenneth Michael White, The Conversation, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Some of the rumors, and a few of the reports at the time, paint Khrzhanovsky as a tyrant who went mad with power, like Colonel Kurtz in Heart of Darkness (or maybe Francis Ford Coppola making Apocalypse Now).
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of tyrant
Noun
  • Well, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and I often argue, jokingly, about which of us is the bigger dictator.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Ovechkin, who turns 41 on Thursday — the same day the Capitals open training camp — has long been a public supporter of Putin, the de facto dictator whose authoritarian regime has overseen a full-scale war with neighboring Ukraine since 2022.
    — Barry Svrluga, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of dictator
Noun
  • During his time with the Yankees, Mendoza was known as a disciplinarian behind the scenes, but the team loved and respected his hard coaching.
    — Chris Kirschner, New York Times, 26 June 2026
  • You are asked to be teachers, counselors, social workers, disciplinarians, mentors, advocates, crisis managers and emotional anchors for children navigating an increasingly complicated world.
    — Susana A. Mendoza, Chicago Tribune, 2 June 2026
Definition of disciplinarian
Noun
  • Also known as the planet of structure, discipline and limitations, the taskmaster’s journey through Aries creates friction between our instincts and restraint.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 18 Sep. 2026
  • She is thrown into isolation before getting the opportunity to once again assimilate, Marc is a genuine taskmaster, but a dedicated defender publicly and to the cops about the legitimacy of his operation and its residents.
    — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Definition of taskmaster

Browse Nearby Words

martial law
martinet
martinets
See all Nearby Words

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Cite this Entry

“Martinet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martinet. Accessed 28 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of fungible

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of the words cracker fly and sale arranged in a triangle with the word fire in the middle
Triple Play Quiz Find the word that pairs with each of the three g...
See All