martial

¹

[mahr-shuhl]

adjective

1. inclined or disposed to war; warlike.

   The ancient Romans were a martial people.

2. of, suitable for, or associated with war or the armed forces.

   martial music.

   Synonyms: soldierly, military

3. characteristic of or befitting a warrior.

   a martial stride.

Martial

²

[mahr-shuhl]

noun

1. Marcus Valerius Martialis, a.d. 43?–104?, Roman epigrammatist, born in Spain.

Martial

¹

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to Mars

Martial

²

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

noun

1. full name Marcus Valerius Martialis. ?40–?104 _ad , Latin epigrammatist and poet, born in Spain

martial

³

/ ˈmɑːʃəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of war, soldiers, or the military life

Other Word Forms

• martialist noun
• martialness noun
• martialism noun
• martially adverb
• nonmartial adjective
• nonmartially adverb
• nonmartialness noun
• unmartial adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Martial¹

1325–75; Middle English < Latin Mārtiālis of, belonging to Mars, equivalent to Mārti- (stem of Mārs ) + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of Martial¹

C14: from Latin martiālis of _Mars ¹

Example Sentences

Martial law has no established definition in U.S. law; it’s an extremely muddy concept.

From Salon

Martial law is in effect, city streets are filled with dissension in favor of AI and the Entity is quickly gaining control of the world’s nuclear arsenal.

From Salon

A professional Mixed Martial Arts fighter who once described himself as Manchester's answer to Rocky Balboa has been jailed for dealing drugs and selling guns.

From BBC

"I have seen the arguments in the papers by some lawyers regarding the correctness of some civilians being tried in the Court Martial," President Museveni said in a long post on X.

From BBC

Martial law has not been invoked since South Korea became a parliamentary democracy in 1987.

From BBC

When To Use

What does martial mean?

Martial means relating to war, combat, or military life. It’s most commonly used in the phrases martial arts, martial law, and court-martial.Less commonly, martial can mean warlike or characteristic of a warrior.Example: Most marches originated as martial music that was used to help soldiers march.