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martyred

verb

past tense of martyr
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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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 martyred The three Christian leaders—historical enemies—unite in that moment, are expelled, martyred, and resurrected. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 18 July 2026 She was martyred and mortified and endured and rose again in the eyes of the people. — Literary Hub, 14 Apr. 2026 So did the entire first generation of Christians, many of whom were martyred. — Case Thorp, The Orlando Sentinel, 5 Apr. 2026 One of our colleagues has been martyred. — CBS News, 24 Mar. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyred
  1. persecuted
  2. tortured
  3. attacked
  4. tormented
  5. assailed
  6. afflicted
  7. besieged
  8. cursed
Verb
  • Also, some immigration cases involve people seeking asylum because they are being persecuted by a foreign government and releasing a person’s full name could be considered sensitive or even dangerous.
    — Laura Tillman, Hartford Courant, 11 Sep. 2026
  • The Tates have denied all allegations and have claimed they are being persecuted for their views.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of persecuted
Verb
  • Two students who had been visiting the palace, Eduardo Matson Ospino and Yolanda Ernestina Santodomingo, were allegedly classified as especiales, taken to a military facility, blindfolded, interrogated, tortured and threatened with execution.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Prosecutors say Alsheikh, seeking to quash political dissent, sent certain prisoners to a wing of Adra where they were held in small isolation cells and tortured.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of tortured
Verb
  • Six of the gunmen were killed, according to police, who said one suicide bomber attacked the nearby office of an intelligence agency.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Sep. 2026
  • When a wealthy, royal woman is attacked by bandits, the two men save her and are welcomed to the castle as valiant knights.
    — Jourdain Searles, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of attacked
Verb
  • About a month after that, the financier, tormented by fears of further investigation, died of apoplexy.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Leite is one week removed from giving Angel Reese and Howard fits in Atlanta, while Astier has tormented the Fever duo of Clark and Aliyah Boston.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of tormented
Verb
  • Kennedy’s post also assailed Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has criticized Kennedy’s anti-vaccine rhetoric and activism.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Venezuela’s acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, whose administration was widely assailed for its desultory initial response, has made high-profile appearances in La Guaira.
    — Mery Mogollón, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of assailed
Verb
  • The afflicted can feel very strongly about them, strongly believe them, even though there is no convincing reason for holding that thought.
    — Donna Vickroy, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • However, the network was afflicted with major issues in its first year, including executive turnover and poor ratings.
    — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of afflicted
Verb
  • In recent months, Israeli settlers have repeatedly besieged the village of Qusra, defying orders from the authorities to leave the area and trying to force Palestinian families, some of whom are also American citizens, out.
    — Oren Liebermann, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • There has been a spate of Israeli settler violence in the West Bank, and the village of Qusra has been besieged by Israeli settlers for weeks.
    — F. Brinley Bruton, NBC news, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of besieged
Verb
  • In a wartorn country where air travel is too perilous to even consider, the roads are the obvious option, but are jammed, precarious, and cursed with long, torturous border queues.
    — Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Instead, the ghosts of flower power rose from their graves and cursed the entire Sex Squadron with a thundercloud of paranoia from all the bad acid trips ever to hit Haight-Ashbury.
    — Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of cursed

Browse Nearby Words

martyrdoms
martyred
martyries
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Cite this Entry

“Martyred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyred. Accessed 19 Sep. 2026.

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