martyr

/ˈmɑːtə(r)/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɑːrtər/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈmär-tər/ (ame, mw) · /ˈmɑː.tər/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈmɑːr.t̬ɚ/ (ame, ipa)

martyr — 名詞

  • martyrsingular
  • martyrsplural

1. someone admired for enduring terrible punishment or death rather than abandoning

1.名詞C1
釋義

殉道者

因信念受害或喪命而受敬仰的人

someone admired for enduring terrible punishment or death rather than abandoning a religious or political belief

例句

Early Christians honored Cyrus as a martyr after his execution.

早期基督徒在 Cyrus 被處死後，尊他為殉道者。

honor + person + as a martyr

The museum tells the story of a journalist killed as a political martyr.

博物館講述了一名記者如何被殺害，成為政治殉道者的故事。

political martyr

同義詞
  • victim

    broader and neutral; does not suggest admired suffering for a principle

  • saint

    religious and moral; may overlap, but a martyr is defined by suffering for faith or a cause

文法句型

a martyr for + cause

honor + [person] + as a martyr

用法筆記

Usually appears when the suffering is tied to an openly held belief or cause. Unlike sense 3, this sense often implies death or severe persecution and carries open admiration.

常見錯誤

❌The singer was a martyr because critics disliked her album.
✅The singer was the victim of harsh reviews.
💡This sense requires serious suffering for a belief or public cause, not ordinary criticism.

2. someone who keeps showing how much they suffer in order to win sympathy, especia

2.名詞C1
釋義

裝可憐的人

老把自己說得很委屈來博同情的人

someone who keeps showing how much they suffer in order to win sympathy, especially when the problem is partly their own fault

例句

When the team cleaned up, Brooke acted like a martyr for washing two cups.

大家收拾時，Brooke 只洗了兩個杯子就活像個裝可憐的人。

act like a martyr

Xiu keeps calling herself a martyr whenever deadlines pile up.

每次截止日一多，Xiu 就一直說自己像個受盡委屈的人。

同義詞
  • complainer

    focuses on voicing dissatisfaction, not on presenting oneself as noble

  • self-pitier

    emphasizes feeling sorry for oneself more than performing suffering in front of others

反義詞
  • good sport

    someone who handles inconvenience without complaining

文法句型

act like + a martyr

play + the martyr

be + a martyr

用法筆記

This sense is disapproving and often appears in the patterns 'act like a martyr' or 'play the martyr'. It suggests exaggerated self-pity, not noble suffering like sense 1.

常見錯誤

❌I am a martyr because my bus was late.
✅I had a bad morning because my bus was late.
💡This sense is used when someone dramatises their suffering to get sympathy.

3. a person who accepts major loss or pain in order to stay loyal to a principle or

3.名詞C2
釋義

獻身者

為原則承受重大損失的人

a person who accepts major loss or pain in order to stay loyal to a principle or social cause

例句

The article portrayed the lawyer as a martyr to free speech after years in prison.

那篇文章把那名律師描寫成言論自由的獻身者，因為她坐了多年牢。

martyr to + principle

Camila gave up her pension and became a martyr for labor rights.

Camila 放棄了自己的退休金，成了勞工權益的獻身者。

同義詞
  • sacrificer

    highlights giving something up, but lacks the same public admiration

  • idealistic sufferer

    explains the idea, though it is not a fixed everyday label like 'martyr'

反義詞
  • opportunist

    someone who changes principles for personal advantage instead of suffering for them

文法句型

a martyr for + principle

be seen as + a martyr

a martyr to + cause

用法筆記

Broader than sense 1: death is not required here, but the loss must still be serious and tied to a principle. It is often used in political or activist writing.

常見錯誤

❌He is a martyr for skipping one party to study.
✅He made a small sacrifice by skipping the party to study.
💡This sense needs a serious cost for a principle or cause, not a minor inconvenience.

martyr — 動詞