as in tyrant
formal
a person who is very strict and demands obedience from others
The prison's warden was a cruel martinet.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of martinet
The ex-principal of a private school recounts outwitting a troublesome parent—her state’s martinet governor, Brigadier (Hitler) Okon.
—
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023
Van Zweden, in turn, was a martinet specialist in the standards who seemed appealing as an about-face from Gilbert, less electric in the core repertory.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023
Awaiting them at the dock are the martinet of a hotel manager, Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), and her staff, putting on an air of practiced friendliness.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2022
The young princess’s father, born Prince Albert, was the excruciatingly shy, stuttering second son of the martinet King George V and the frigidly correct Queen Mary.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for martinet
Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 9 Oct. 2023
Van Zweden, in turn, was a martinet specialist in the standards who seemed appealing as an about-face from Gilbert, less electric in the core repertory.
—Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 7 Feb. 2023
Awaiting them at the dock are the martinet of a hotel manager, Valentina (Sabrina Impacciatore), and her staff, putting on an air of practiced friendliness.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2022
The young princess’s father, born Prince Albert, was the excruciatingly shy, stuttering second son of the martinet King George V and the frigidly correct Queen Mary.
—Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2022
See All Example Sentences for martinet
Recent Examples of Synonyms for martinet
Noun
-
The Russian tyrant has now cost his country hundreds of thousands of lives and huge portions of its military capability.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
3 June 2025
-
Never mind that the Dodgers have been a rip-roaring success on the Golden Coast and that O’Malley was forced into a corner by a New York City tyrant named Robert Moses.—
Steve Silverman,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Noun
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In theory, Lee and Trump are well suited as a pair to wrangle the North Korean dictator.—
John Delury,
Foreign Affairs,
3 June 2025
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Individual rights shield us from the initiation of physical force – whether by tax collectors, or dictators threatening us with missiles.—
Ben Bayer,
Oc Register,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
Either way, Columbia could more easily identify the protesters, much to the advantage of disciplinarians looking to move fast.—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
9 May 2025
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Both were industrious strivers at work and strict disciplinarians at home.—
Danielle Amir Jackson,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Boselli and his teammates, coached by prickly taskmaster Tom Coughlin, saw it differently.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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May comes to a close with taskmaster Saturn entering your sign, for the first time since 1999.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martinet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martinet. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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