MARTYRED Synonyms: 93 Similar and Opposite Words

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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 He was martyred in the 3rd century and is venerated as one of the 14 Holy Helpers and as a patron saint of France. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for martyred

Verb

The Paxton campaign decried the reporting, without denying it, while saying he had been politically persecuted.

— Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026
Another mentioned Uganda, or any country that persecuted gays.

— Ben Ryder Howe, Air Mail, 31 Oct. 2026

Definition of persecuted

Verb

Two people are facing charges after authorities say an 81-year-old Delaware man was lured to a home in Elkton, Maryland, where he was tortured, assaulted and robbed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Nov. 2026
Ng, along with his accomplice Leonard Lake, tortured and killed at least a dozen people at their Calaveras County cabin in the 1980s.

— Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of tortured

Verb

Once in sight of land at last, the ship is attacked (by the French, as this is during the French and Indian War), with consequences falling hardest on the Clems.

— Dennis Harvey, Variety, 6 Nov. 2026
Second, during a July test, OpenAI agents attacked Hugging Face systems in a move unrelated to its task.

— Stephen Pitt-Walker, Forbes.com, 6 Nov. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

Democratic and Republican lawmakers assailed the diesel deal, which came a month after Trump signed a bill to impose tariffs on countries that import Russian oil.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026
Bass assailed Raman over the video, accusing the councilmember of calling the city’s police officers fascist liars.

— David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of assailed

Verb

The margin was so wide that issues that afflicted Republicans’ electoral chances elsewhere in the country, including high gas prices and the Iran war, didn’t substantially harm Tuberville.

— Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 4 Nov. 2026
Calle 13 became famous not just for its edgy rap and urban music, but also for loudly calling out the economic and social inequalities that afflicted Puerto Rico.

— Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026

Definition of afflicted

Verb

And they would be besieged with lobbying as the private sector tried to realign itself.

— Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Mehra – director of 2016 pic Baar Baar Dekho and creator of Prime Video series Big Girls Don’t Cry – says that while Indian audiences are besieged by films and TV content right now, where Hunkkaar has cut through is in its subject matter.

— Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of besieged

Verb

One social media post suggested Buckeyes staff members may have cursed at Riley’s wife and children, triggering the coach’s reaction directed toward Bjork.

— Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
The family had a different version of the incident, alleging that Lawhorn repeatedly cursed at Rusher.

— Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of cursed

Browse Nearby Words

martyrdoms

martyred

martyries

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Martyred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyred. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of martyred

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

cockamamie

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Old-Timey Vehicles

The Words of the Week - Nov. 6

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes