as in persecuted
to kill (someone) for refusing to give up a belief or cause
—usually used as (be) martyred
He was martyred for his religious beliefs.
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Recent Examples of martyred
Charlie Kirk invited me to speak at Amfest a few weeks ago before he was martyred.
—
Mandy Taheri
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
But closer to me, and with greater incident, these phrases are inflected by the voice of Hiba Abu Nada, the Gazan poet who was martyred in an Israeli airstrike on October 20, 2023.
—Huda Fakhreddine
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Mandy Taheri
jason Lemon, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
His desperate, lacerating Teddy is a character who has ruined his own life, who has martyred himself out of his devotion to The Truth.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 28 Aug. 2025
But closer to me, and with greater incident, these phrases are inflected by the voice of Hiba Abu Nada, the Gazan poet who was martyred in an Israeli airstrike on October 20, 2023.
—Huda Fakhreddine
august 28, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyred
Verb
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No group should ever be persecuted for practicing their religion.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
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The apology came after a sustained campaign by historians and activists who argued that the victims were persecuted for being poor, vulnerable, or simply different.—
James Frater,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Combined with the numbers injured, detained or tortured, at least one percent of the Strip’s population suffered first-hand from Israeli violence during the first occupation.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Maloyan served as Archbishop of Mardin from 1911 to 1915 and was tortured and killed after refusing to convert to Islam.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In one attack in mid-September, the militants attacked a convoy of more than 100 fuel trucks, setting fire to half of them, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), which maps conflicts.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
2 Nov. 2025
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Republican Lieutenant Governor Winsome Earle-Sears, who has trailed Spanberger for most of the race, has attacked Spanberger over Democrats' positions on the government shutdown and focused on trans issues, which helped Republicans win the governor's mansion in 2021.—
Benjamin Siegel,
ABC News,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Florida had a shot at a program-defining win against the rival that tormented it the most.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Defend itself against any person or animal which has tormented, assaulted or abused it.—
Anna Kleiber,
jsonline.com,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Controversy follows Cheney While Cheney's disposition was never particularly sunny, critics assailed the vice president as a relentlessly grim figure.—
Don Gonyea,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
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The last northeastern gallery in this competition assailed Montgomerie so relentlessly during his match with Payne Stewart that the Scotsman’s father walked off the course on the front nine.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Wars and insurrections have afflicted other parts of the Middle East, but Baghdad—a city whose name was once synonymous with suicide bombings and sectarian murder—has been spared.—
Robert F. Worth,
The Atlantic,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The Lakers were down LeBron James, afflicted by nerve pain.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Meanwhile, Earth itself is suddenly besieged by an alien invasion.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Oct. 2025
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For more than a year, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has besieged El Fasher, its final major barrier to controlling Darfur.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The film follows seventeen-year-old Katie Thompson, a troubled teen spiralling after the tragic death of her younger brother – a loss that has left her not only emotionally scarred but also cursed with a disturbing ability to glimpse the world beyond the living.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
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Shula left, Marino retired and the franchise has been cursed ever since.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martyred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyred. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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