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
Porter need not be martyred like Good and Pretti.
—
Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
Iran, with its sophisticated military, near-nuclear capability, proxy networks spanning the region and a regime now martyred by foreign attack, will likely not be the exception.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, an ailing octogenarian, frequently spoke of his willingness to be martyred, and regime officials have claimed that Israel already tried to target them last summer, when Israel and Iran traded strikes in what would become known as the Twelve-Day War.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
And martyred, really, martyred for his beliefs.
—Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
So last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin and martyred, really martyred for his beliefs.
—Time Staff, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 7 Mar. 2026
Iran, with its sophisticated military, near-nuclear capability, proxy networks spanning the region and a regime now martyred by foreign attack, will likely not be the exception.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
Khamenei, an ailing octogenarian, frequently spoke of his willingness to be martyred, and regime officials have claimed that Israel already tried to target them last summer, when Israel and Iran traded strikes in what would become known as the Twelve-Day War.
—Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
And martyred, really, martyred for his beliefs.
—Dallas Morning News, 25 Feb. 2026
So last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin and martyred, really martyred for his beliefs.
—Time Staff, Time, 25 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyred
Verb
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Making up between 8% to 17% of the country’s total population, Iran’s Kurdish minority has long been persecuted under the Islamic Republic.—
John Calabrese,
The Conversation,
7 Mar. 2026
-
The mission said intelligence agencies routinely persecuted political adversaries, falsifying evidence to justify arrests and in some cases resorting to torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His fourth attempt was foiled when he was arrested at the airport and detained and tortured for several months.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The former soldier also said Haitian police mentally and physically tortured the Colombian suspects after they were taken into custody.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Iran, Israel and the United States also have attacked oil and gas facilities since the war started, worsening supply concerns.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Its national oil company declared force majeure after the country’s sole oil refinery was attacked.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Fortune,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Nigel Pack has tormented Texas since his days at Miami, when the Hurricanes eliminated Texas in an Elite Eight matchup in 2023.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
-
But no, Tommy will not be moved, wallowing in grief for his young daughter and tormented by the death of his brother Arthur, ostensibly a suicide.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Election officials and experts assailed the review, done by the security firm Cyber Ninjas—which made claims about the election process that were disputed by state and county election officials—as deeply flawed and partisan.—
Sarah Fitzpatrick,
The Atlantic,
10 Mar. 2026
-
California law restricts when local enforcement can coordinate with ICE in making such arrests, and federal officials and Republicans have assailed the policy for hindering immigration enforcement.—
Ethan Varian,
Mercury News,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In New Zealand, Māori men are famously afflicted — by their eighties, nearly half may have (or have had) gout.—
Jan Steyn,
The Dial,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Cabbages are afflicted by cabbage webworms, cabbage white moths, cabbage loopers, and other worms.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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But the regime, besieged by insurrections across the country, abandoned Manbij.—
Anand Gopal,
New Yorker,
28 Feb. 2026
-
The Kings, who snapped a franchise-record 16-game losing streak with Monday’s win over the Memphis Grizzlies, have been besieged by injuries this season.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Is there something tainted or cursed about this place?—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
4 Mar. 2026
-
That person is then cursed and slated for murder.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Martyred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyred. Accessed 15 Mar. 2026.
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