martyrdom

noun

mar·​tyr·​dom ˈmär-tər-dəm 

1

: the suffering of death on account of adherence to a cause and especially to one's religious faith

… defended moral truth even to the point of enduring martyrdom …

—Andrew Sullivan

2

: affliction, torture

Examples of martyrdom in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

How have killing, destruction, and martyrdom become almost acceptable? —Ben Croll, Variety, 7 Dec. 2024

Kolbe told his mother that while praying to know how his life would play out, the Blessed Mother offered him the choice between two crowns: a white one symbolizing purity and a red one symbolizing martyrdom. —Christine Rousselle, Fox News, 8 Dec. 2024

But many others are reacting to his killing with a mix of grief and celebratory martyrdom. —Alexander Smith, NBC News, 19 Oct. 2024

Nabatieh, once a noisy, compact city of 120,000, famous for the market and its yearly 10-day gathering for Ashura — when Shiite Muslims commemorate the 7th century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson — is now ghostly quiet. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

martyrdom

noun

mar·​tyr·​dom ˈmärt-ərd-əm 

1

: the sufferings and death of a martyr

2

: torment entry 1 sense 1