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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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
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Hope: Ultimately, the protests suggest the possibility that, eventually, an overwhelming majority of Palestinians will never again allow themselves to be ruled by revanchist tyrants of any shade.—
Bret Stephens,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2025
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Synopsis: Before kings and empires feared him, a tyrant sought to erase him.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Correa is accused of participating in beatings, electrocutions and other forms of abuses while allegedly acting as part of a death squad operating under former Gambian dictator Yahya Jammeh.—
Gordon G. Chang,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Apr. 2025
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The trouble with international prosecutions The ICC has a long list of outstanding arrest warrants, including for former dictator Omar al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for three decades before being deposed in 2019.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Both were industrious strivers at work and strict disciplinarians at home.—
Danielle Amir Jackson,
The Atlantic,
27 Feb. 2025
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After three years with John Fox, Pace didn’t need to fully reset the culture inside Halas Hall and bring in an experienced disciplinarian because Fox had helped clean up the mess left behind by the Phil Emery/Marc Trestman administration.—
Adam Jahns,
The Athletic,
5 Jan. 2025
Noun
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As the sun joins taskmaster Saturn in Pisces, your eighth house of transformation and catharsis becomes illuminated.—
Valerie Mesa,
People.com,
11 Mar. 2025
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Go From Managing Tasks To Developing People One of the most significant mindset shifts great leaders make is moving from manager as taskmaster to manager as developer.—
Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio,
Forbes,
4 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Martinet.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/martinet. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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