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
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
So last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin and martyred, really martyred for his beliefs.
—
Time Staff,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
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
So last year, Charlie was violently murdered by an assassin and martyred, really martyred for his beliefs.
—
Time Staff,
Time,
25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyred
Verb
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In Britain, all the large predators had long since been exterminated and the smaller ones (like foxes) were ruthlessly persecuted.
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Supporting people who have too often been, and continue to be, persecuted and othered would be a direct way to address the suffering.
Verb
-
Pluverge, an ice cream maker at Taste the Tropics, came to the United States on asylum after he was kidnapped and tortured by gang members in his home country.
-
This is just one in a sweaty dungeon of hundreds of TikTok videos that show women being stalked, grabbed, tortured, tossed to the ground, and handcuffed by scary masked soldiers.
Verb
-
Police said former professional soccer player Badea and another man attacked Zeraati before fleeing in a getaway car driven by Stana and then flying out of the country from Heathrow Airport.
-
The three men who attacked our CBS News Chicago crew near Adler Planetarium before pointing a gun at people in Brighton Park on Monday afternoon have been charged.
Verb
-
In that movie, Depp played a young woman who is tormented after vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård) becomes obsessed with her.
-
Alex Freeman tormented his opponents in Seattle on Friday, 30 years after his famous dad did the same.
Verb
-
Roberts once signed on to a Kagan dissent that assailed the shadow docket.
-
It was passed following the signing of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which was implemented during the administration of then-President Barack Obama — an agreement Trump repeatedly assailed before pulling out of it in 2018.
Verb
-
Jude, meanwhile, was shifting from tossing cones to tugging at his ears, afflicted with the same malady that had landed several of the toddlers on the room’s version of the injury list.
-
They are both afflicted by cognitive and/or hearing issues.
Verb
-
Boston was besieged by the Tartan Army.
-
In the adjacent room, the Shapiro team was equally besieged.
Verb
-
The pseudonymous title character, a depressed, drunken, belligerent twenty-six-year-old advice columnist, has no real hardships of his own and is cursed by doubt.
-
Unlike Tithonus, cursed to age forever, electoral rules can and should be renewed.
Cite this Entry
“Martyred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyred. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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