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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyred
Verb
-
The Eduiot site includes photographs and audiovisual material, and features the accounts of parents, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces of Jews persecuted and disappeared under the dictatorship.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The helpless and much persecuted turtles were cooked in a rich, creamy soup with chunks of meat.—
James Stout,
Outside,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Bundy tortured, raped and killed dozens of young women in more than half a dozen states in the 1970s.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Estimates suggest that as many as 1,900 Jews were abducted, tortured and murdered by the military junta during the six-year Dirty War, when many sources say 30,000 people were disappeared.—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kuwait’s Al Salmi tanker was attacked at the port connected to the United Arab Emirates city better known as a destination for influencers, Reuters and The New York Times reported.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The Houthis have previously attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea to disrupt the flow of oil, gas and other commodities through the Bab el-Mandeb strait.—
Lucia I Suarez Sang,
CBS News,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In Thomas Bernhard’s The Loser, Wertheimer, tormented by encountering a genius in the form of fellow piano student Glenn Gould, gives up his dreams of performing and moves in with his sister.—
Christine Smallwood,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Cuba’s economy, already hollowed out by mismanagement, communist economic ideology, sanctions, and the end of subsidized oil from Venezuela, is now tormented by island-wide blackouts and food shortages.—
Sarah Fitzpatrick,
The Atlantic,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In late February, the public feud escalated after Trump assailed Anthropic and ordered government agencies to stop using its technology.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
However, they are widely considered to be highly capable, especially for coalition warfare, despite some technical issues that have afflicted them in their first years of service.—
Pan Pylas,
Los Angeles Times,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Our mission is to feed the hungry, comfort the afflicted and offer hope to those in need, including the LGBTQ community.—
Donna Lamb,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Early on, the Biden team had been besieged with desperate pleas to ship more of the then scarce vaccine.—
David Blumenthal,
STAT,
24 Mar. 2026
-
When news circulated about the gathering, Temple Emanu-El was besieged with inquiries from the local media.—
Joshua M. Davidson,
New York Daily News,
22 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Yates alleges that Ebert had driven up to the house, honked his horn, and cursed at him before driving off.—
Walden Green,
Pitchfork,
2 Apr. 2026
-
In the days leading up to the wedding, however, Rachel discovers that her bloodline has been cursed.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Martyred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyred. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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