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

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

What begins as an inhumane interrogation turns into a true martyrdom: the wrong group of people has been kidnapped. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 3 Oct. 2024

For the moment at least, Hamas leaders and sources close to the leadership circle have tried to project an aura of resilience and an emphasis on the virtues of martyrdom. —David Remnick, The New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2024

For him, Musk’s embrace of Donald Trump’s worldview and his parallel rejection of California’s liberal politics aren’t really about ideology or free speech martyrdom (as Musk often espouses). —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 18 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