Martyr meaning
One who makes great sacrifices or suffers much in order to further a belief, cause, or principle.
noun
A person who assumes an attitude of self-sacrifice or suffering in order to arouse feelings of pity, guilt, etc. in others.
noun
A person who suffers great pain or misery for a long time.
noun
The definition of a martyr is a person who is killed because of his beliefs (especially religious beliefs), or a person who exaggerates his sacrifice to get sympathy.
A religious person who refuses to deny his religion and is killed for it is an example of a martyr.
A person who takes care of his aging parents but who makes sure everyone knows just how difficult it is is an example of a martyr.
noun
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(by extension) One who sacrifices his or her life, station, or something of great personal value, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
noun
To make someone into a martyr by putting him or her to death for adhering to, or acting in accordance with, some belief, especially religious; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.
verb
To make a martyr of, especially to put to death for devotion to religious beliefs.
verb
To put to death or torture for adherence to a belief.
verb
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One who is killed or suffers greatly because of an identity or position, e.g., a young prince killed when his father, the king, is deposed for the purpose of preventing the restoration of the monarchy later.
noun
One who chooses to suffer death rather than renounce religious principles.
noun
To torture; make suffer greatly; persecute.
verb
(with a prepositional phrase of cause) One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.
Stan is a martyr to arthritis, Chris a martyr to Stan's endless moaning about it.
noun
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To inflict great pain on; torment.
verb
Origin of martyr
- Middle English from Old English from Late Latin from Late Greek martur from Greek martus martur- witness
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
- From Middle English, from Old English, itself from Ecclesiastical Latin martyr, from Ancient Greek μάÏÏ„Ï…Ï (martyr), later form of μάÏÏ„Ï…Ï‚ (martus, “witness").
From Wiktionary