martyr
martyr Lexical Profile
martyr Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A person who is killed or made to suffer greatly because of their religious, political, or philosophical beliefs.
"The monument was erected to honor the martyrs who gave their lives for civil rights."
A person who exaggerates or feigns suffering and self-sacrifice in order to obtain sympathy, admiration, or guilt from others.
"She insisted on doing all the cleanup by herself just so she could play the martyr."
A person who endures constant, severe pain or affliction from a chronic illness or condition.
"For the last decade of his life, my grandfather was a martyr to severe arthritis."
• verb
To put someone to death or subject them to severe persecution because of their religious or political beliefs.
"Several early scholars were martyred for translating the sacred texts into the vernacular."
• Rhymes for martyr
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English 'martyr', via Late Latin from Ancient Greek 'mártys' (meaning 'witness'). In early Christian usage, the term shifted from someone who bore witness to their faith in court to someone who died for it.