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.

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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

Verb

Those governments provide assurances that people won’t be persecuted or tortured, federal attorneys said.

— Lindsay Whitehurst, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
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

Definition of persecuted

Verb

Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Friday that Ukraine attacked four Russian oil refineries overnight, but air defenses fended off the attacks.

— HANNA ARHIROVA, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
Trust took another nosedive when OpenAI’s agents attacked Hugging Face this summer and, in a world-first, a rogue model hacked the Australian Government’s website.

— Yerbol Orynbayev, Fortune, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of attacked

Verb

Hundreds of diplomats filed out as Netanyahu approached the lectern from where leaders of France, Brazil, and the UK assailed Israel this week.

— Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 24 Sep. 2026
Predecessor Justin Trudeau's government had assailed Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, spurring a five-year diplomatic split.

— ABC News, ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of assailed

Verb

While the epicenter was located in Nantou County in central Taiwan, serious damage afflicted residents across the island as roads buckled, bridges collapsed and landslides destroyed everything in their path.

— Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 21 Sep. 2026
Here’s my Sunday postgame piece on a miserable condition that has afflicted Dolphins fans for years, and our plea to Jon-Eric Sullivan to fix it.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 20 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

Some demonstrators cursed at police officers holding riot shields, while others yelled out as passing cars honked in support of the protest.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 21 Sep. 2026
Home of a fur seal trade leading to an almost extinction of seals, a whaling station, and then many volcanic eruptions leading to the destruction of scientific stations, this island looks like it is cursed.

— New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of cursed

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martyrdoms

martyred

martyries

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“Martyred.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martyred. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of martyred

verb

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