martial

martial — adjective

1. connected with armies, combat, or the everyday life and customs of people who se

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

connected with armies, combat, or the everyday life and customs of people who serve as soldiers.

Example

The government declared martial law after the earthquake to keep order.

fixed phrase: martial law

Hao joined a martial arts club to learn self-defence and discipline.

fixed phrase: martial arts

Common collocations
  • martial law
  • martial arts
  • court-martial
  • martial training
  • martial music
  • martial discipline
  • martial prowess
Synonyms
  • military

    broader in scope; refers to armed forces generally rather than the quality of being war-related

  • combat

    more specific to active fighting; 'martial' also covers non-combat military life

  • service

    informal and narrower; describes being in the armed forces without the war-like connotation

Grammar Patterns

martial + noun

court-martial (compound noun)

Usage Note

Almost always used attributively (before a noun). The word appears most often in set phrases such as martial law, martial arts, and court-martial. Outside these fixed phrases, it is less common in everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

They signed a martial agreement before the wedding.
They signed a marital agreement before the wedding.
'martial' relates to war or the military; 'marital' relates to marriage.

2. having a fierce, combative nature or the physical and mental qualities that peop

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

having a fierce, combative nature or the physical and mental qualities that people associate with a warrior.

Example

The old warrior's martial spirit impressed every young soldier in the camp.

collocation: martial spirit

Jabari's martial stance warned everyone in the room not to challenge him.

collocation: martial stance

Common collocations
  • martial spirit
  • martial bearing
  • martial tone
  • martial stance
  • martial appearance
  • martial character
  • martial qualities
Synonyms
  • warlike

    more direct synonym; suggests eagerness to fight, while 'martial' can also imply dignified warrior qualities

  • combative

    focuses on the readiness to argue or fight, often in everyday situations, not necessarily with warrior dignity

  • bellicose

    stronger and more negative; suggests aggressive hostility rather than admirable warrior traits

  • valiant

    emphasises bravery in battle rather than a general combative nature

Antonyms
  • peaceful

    direct opposite of a warlike nature

  • gentle

    opposite in terms of demeanour and behaviour

Grammar Patterns

martial + noun (personal quality)

be + martial

Usage Note

This sense is literary or formal. It describes a person's character or demeanour, not their profession — a civilian can have a martial spirit, and a soldier may lack one.

Common Mistakes

The martial parade passed through the city centre.' (when describing a military parade)
The military parade passed through the city centre.
For parades and ceremonies, 'military' is the ordinary word; 'martial' in this sense describes personal qualities, not formal institutions.
Idioms

Martial

idiom

Marcus Valerius Martialis (circa 40–103 AD), a Roman poet famous for his witty, short poems called epigrams that poked fun at Roman society and daily life.

The students in Latin class enjoyed reading Martial's short poems about Roman life.

A poem by Martial makes fun of a rich man who refuses to share his food.

Word family

  • martially
    adverbC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

Military is the broadest and most neutral of the three, covering everything related to armed forces as an institution (military base, military service, military strategy). Martial overlaps with military but has a narrower, more dramatic feel — it appears in set phrases (martial law, martial arts) and carries a slightly older or more formal tone. Warlike differs from both: it describes a personal or national attitude that favours conflict ('a warlike dictator'), whereas military and martial are descriptive of institutions or practices. In everyday writing, military is the default word; martial is reserved for fixed expressions or deliberate formal effect; warlike is commentary on someone's nature.

military ↗martial ↗warlike

Common collocations

Nouns

  • martial law
  • martial arts
  • martial music
  • martial spirit

Phrases

  • court-martial
  • martial law

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word martial comes from Latin martiālis, meaning 'of Mars' — Mars being the Roman god of war. It entered English in the 14th century through Old French, first used to describe soldiers and military affairs, and later extended to describe a person's warlike character.