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Heroic vs Martyr - What's the difference?

heroic | martyr |

As an adjective heroic

is of or relating to a hero or heroine; supremely noble.

As a noun martyr is

one who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom.

As a verb martyr is

to make someone into a martyr by putting him or her to death for adhering to, or acting in accordance with, some belief, especially religious; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.

heroic

English

Alternative forms

* heroick

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Of or relating to a hero or heroine; supremely noble
    • heroic deeds
  • Courageous; displaying heroism.
    • RAUBENHEIMER NO v TRUSTEES, JOHANNES BREDENKAMP TRUST, AND OTHERS 2006 (1) SA 124 (C) "The original cottage was said to appear on a well-known painting, dating back to 1863, of the American pirate ship, the Alabama, leaving Table Bay. It was also believed to feature in the story of the heroic Wolraad Woltemade who, in 1773, lost his life and that of his horse after valiantly saving 14 shipwrecked persons. This was said to have taken place within sight and full view of the house. The second respondent called this historical link into question, averring that the house was probably not yet built in 1773 while Woltemade's heroics were believed to have taken place in the vicinity of the Salt River mouth, some 10 km away.

    Antonyms

    * cowardly

    Derived terms

    * heroics * heroically

    Related terms

    * hero * heroine * heroism

    Anagrams

    * ----

    martyr

    English

    (wikipedia martyr)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • One who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom.
    • Saint Stephen was the first Christian martyr .
  • (by extension) One who sacrifices his or her life, station, or something of great personal value, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.
  • (with a prepositional phrase of cause) One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.
    • Stan is a martyr''' to arthritis, Chris a ' martyr to Stan's endless moaning about it.
  • * {{quote-book
    • , year=1937 , author=AJ Cronin , title=The Citadel , passage=He'd been a martyr to asthma all his life.}}
  • One who is killed or suffers greatly because of an identity or position, e.g., a young prince killed when his father, the king, is deposed for the purpose of preventing the restoration of the monarchy later.

    • Synonyms

    * shaheed, shahid

    Antonyms

    * confessor

    Derived terms

    {{der3, martyr complex , martyrdom , martyress , martyrial , martyrish , martyrizate , martyrize , martyrizer , martyrly , martyrolatry , martyrless , martyrship}}

    Related terms

    {{rel3, martyrdom , martyrion , martyrium , martyrologe , martyrologue , martyrology , martyry , protomartyr}}

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To make someone into a martyr by putting him or her to death for adhering to, or acting in accordance with, some belief, especially religious; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.
  • To persecute.
    • ''Some religious and other minorities were martyred until extinction.
  • To torment; to torture.
    • The lovely Amoret, whose gentle heart
    Thou martyrest with sorrow and with smart. — Spenser

    Synonyms

    * martyrize

    Derived terms

    * martyrer