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to martyrize

to martyrize

9.9
To make someone suffer or kill them because of their beliefs
  • verb
  • /ˈmɑːrtəraɪz/
  • Offensive
translation icon : martirizar
  • Writers have described how oppressive regimes martyrize dissidents to instill fear in others.

Examples

  • They tried to martyrize him for his beliefs.

  • She felt as though fate had chosen to martyrize her with one hardship after another.

  • The unjust ruler sought to martyrize anyone who spoke out against his regime.

  • Don't martyrize yourself for others!

  • The oppressive regime sought to martyrize political dissenters to instill fear in the populace.

  • She felt that the media was trying to martyrize the victim, exaggerating their suffering for sensationalism.

  • The way they martyrize their heroes makes it hard to separate fact from fiction.

Synonyms

to torture
vsto martyrize
  • Offensive
582 5.7

To cause someone to feel severe physical or emotional pain, often on purpose

adds the aim of making the suffering appear heroic or exemplary
to terrorize
vsto martyrize
  • NSFW
145 6.7

To frighten someone very much by using threats or violence

seeks to inflict direct suffering rather than mainly causing fear or control
to traumatize
vsto martyrize
87 6.9

To cause someone to feel very shocked and upset

focuses on causing immediate torment and symbolic suffering rather than lasting psychological injury
to victimize
vsto martyrize
  • US
70 6.0

Treat someone cruelly or unfairly so they suffer

involves active torture aiming to create symbolic suffering rather than general unfairness
to brutalize
vsto martyrize
  • Offensive
34 7.7

Treat someone cruelly with violence or make them numb to suffering

aims to cause suffering with a symbolic or exemplary purpose not only violence
to crucify
vsto martyrize
  • NSFW
32 8.0

To criticize someone or something very harshly, often in public

inflicts intense physical torment rather than mainly public shaming
to martyr
vsto martyrize
  • NSFW
17 8.0

To punish or kill someone for their beliefs

focuses on causing intense suffering to create public sympathy for the victim

Antonyms

104 4.3

Set someone free from prison or unfair control

How Severe

to martyrize
  • Offensive
9.9
to torment
  • NSFW
107 7.2
to persecute
98 7.0
to abuse
  • NSFW
344 3.7
to mistreat
63 2.9

Surface Forms

martyrize infinitive
martyrized past
martyrized past participle
martyrizing present participle
martyrizes third person singular

Morphology

martyrize = martyr (transparent) = martyr + ize

Formed by adding the productive verbal suffix '-ize' to 'martyr', yielding the meaning 'to make or treat as a martyr', which is directly inferable.

Etymology

Martyrize comes from the word martyr, which originally came from a Greek word meaning 'witness' and later described someone who suffers or dies for a belief, and the ending -ize means 'to make'. So to martyrize someone is to treat or hurt them as if to make them a martyr, often to punish or frighten others.