adj · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈmɪlɪt(ə)ɹi/
General-American:/ˈmɪlɪtɛɹi/
General-American:/ˈmɪləˌtɛɹi/
General-American:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
Canada:/ˈmɪlɪtɹi/
Canada:/ˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/
Australian:/ˈmɪlɪtəɹi/
Scotland:/ˈmɪlɪt(ə)ɾe/
Wales:/ˈmɪlɪt(ə)ɾi/
Philippines:/mɪlɪˈtaɾi/
CMU ARPABET:M IH1 L AH0 T EH2 R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
CMU ARPABET 2:M IH1 L IH0 T EH2 R IY0
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Characteristic of members of the armed forces.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
Examples
She was dishonorably discharged from all military duties.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
Relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force (often as distinguished from civilians or police forces).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: Canada, US, not-comparable, usually
Examples
If you join a military force, you may end up killing people.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
adj
Meaning 3
Relating to war.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
adj
Meaning 4
Relating to armies or ground forces.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
Armed forces.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
He spent six years in the military.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: force, forces
Antonyms: none provided
6
adjective
Meaning 6
associated with or performed by members of the armed services as contrasted with civilians
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
military police
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: civilian
7
adjective
Meaning 7
characteristic of or associated with soldiers or the military
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
military uniforms
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: unmilitary
8
adjective
Meaning 8
of or relating to the study of the principles of warfare
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
military law
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
9
noun
Meaning 9
the military forces of a nation
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
their military is the largest in the region
the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: armed forces, armed services, military machine, war machine
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: force, personnel
Narrower terms: military reserve, reserve
History
Etymology
From Middle English militari, from Old French militaire, from Latin mīlitāris, from mīles (“soldier”) + -āris (whence -ary). Doublet of militaire.
Across languages
Translations
269 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
militêr
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Afrikaans:
militêre
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Albanian:
ushtarak
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Arabic:
عَسْكَرِيّ
(ʕaskariyy)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Armenian:
զինվորական
(zinvorakan)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Azerbaijani:
hərbi
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Azerbaijani:
hərbçi
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Azerbaijani:
əsgəri
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Bashkir:
хәрби
(xərbi)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Belarusian:
вае́нны
(vajénny)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Belarusian:
вайско́вы
(vajskóvy)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Belarusian:
во́інскі
(vóinski)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Bulgarian:
вое́нен
(voénen)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Catalan:
militar
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Chinese Cantonese:
軍事 /军事
(gwan1 si6)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Chinese Mandarin:
軍事 /军事
(jūnshì)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Crimean Tatar:
askeriy
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Crimean Tatar:
arbiy
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Czech:
vojenský
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Czech:
válečný
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Danish:
militær
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Dutch:
militair
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Esperanto:
milita
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Finnish:
sotilas-
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Finnish:
sotilaallinen
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Galician:
militar
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Georgian:
სამხედრო
(samxedro)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
German:
Militär-
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
German:
militärisch
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
German:
Kriegs-
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Greek:
στρατιωτικός
(stratiotikós)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Ancient Greek:
στρατιωτικός
(stratiōtikós)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Hebrew:
צְבָאִי
(ts'va'í)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Hindi:
जंगी
(jaṅgī)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Hindi:
सैन्य
(sainya)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Hindi:
सैनिक
(sainik)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Hungarian:
katonai
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Icelandic:
hernaðarlegur
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Icelandic:
her-
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Indonesian:
militer
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Irish:
míleata
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Italian:
militare
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Japanese:
軍事的な
(gunjiteki na)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Kazakh:
әскери
(äskeri)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Korean:
군사(軍事)의
(gunsa-ui)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Korean:
군사적
(gunsajeok)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Kyrgyz:
аскердик
(askerdik)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Latin:
mīlitāris
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Latvian:
militārs
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Lithuanian:
karinis
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Macedonian:
воен
(voen)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Malay:
ketenteraan
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Malayalam:
സൈനിക
(sainika)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Marathi:
सैनिकी
(sainikī)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Norwegian Bokmål:
militær
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Iranian Persian:
اَرْتِشی
(arteši)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Iranian Persian:
نِظامی
(nezâmi)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Iranian Persian:
عَسْکَری
(askari)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Polish:
wojskowy
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Polish:
wojenny
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Portuguese:
militar
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Romanian:
militar
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Russian:
вое́нный
(vojénnyj)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Russian:
во́инский
(vóinskij)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Russian:
войсково́й
(vojskovój)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Serbo-Croatian:
во̑јнӣ
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Serbo-Croatian:
vȏjnī
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Slovak:
vojenský
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Slovene:
vojaški
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Spanish:
militar
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Spanish:
castrense
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Swedish:
militär
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Tagalog:
hukbuhin
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Tajik:
низомӣ
(nizomi)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Tajik:
артишӣ
(artiši)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Tajik:
аскарӣ
(askari)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Tatar:
гаскәри
(ğäskäri)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Tatar:
хәрби
(xärbi)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Thai:
ทหาร
(tá-hǎan)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Turkish:
askerî
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Ottoman Turkish:
عسكری
('askeri)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Turkmen:
harby
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Ukrainian:
воє́нний
(vojénnyj)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Ukrainian:
військо́вий
(vijsʹkóvyj)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Ukrainian:
во́їнський
(vójinsʹkyj)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Urdu:
جَن٘گی
(jaṅgī)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Urdu:
فَوجی
(faujī)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Urdu:
عَسْکَری
('askarī)
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Uzbek:
harbiy
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Vietnamese:
quân đội
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Vietnamese:
quân sự
— characteristic of members of the armed forces
Armenian:
զինվորական
(zinvorakan)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Bashkir:
хәрби
(xərbi)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Catalan:
militar
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Dutch:
militair
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Finnish:
sotilaallinen
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Finnish:
sotilas-
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Finnish:
sota-
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Galician:
militar
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Hindi:
सैनिक
(sainik)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Hindi:
सैन्य
(sainya)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Hindi:
फ़ौजी
(faujī)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Hindi:
फौजी
(phaujī)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Hungarian:
fegyveres
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Malayalam:
സൈനിക
(sainika)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Polish:
wojskowy
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Russian:
вое́нный
(vojénnyj)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Spanish:
militar
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Ukrainian:
воє́нний
(vojénnyj)
— (North America) relating to armed forces such as the army, marines, navy and air force
Afrikaans:
oorlogs-
— relating to war
Arabic:
حَرْبِيّ
(ḥarbiyy)
— relating to war
Armenian:
ռազմական
(ṙazmakan)
— relating to war
Bashkir:
хәрби
(xərbi)
— relating to war
Belarusian:
вае́нны
(vajénny)
— relating to war
Bulgarian:
военен
(voenen)
— relating to war
Catalan:
militar
— relating to war
Chinese Cantonese:
軍事 /军事
(gwan1 si6)
— relating to war
Chinese Cantonese:
戰爭 /战争
(zin3 zang1)
— relating to war
Chinese Mandarin:
軍事 /军事
(jūnshì)
— relating to war
Chinese Mandarin:
戰爭 /战争
(zhànzhēng)
— relating to war
Czech:
válečný
— relating to war
Dutch:
militair
— relating to war
Dutch:
oorlogs-
— relating to war
Dutch:
krijgs-
— relating to war
Finnish:
sotilaallinen
— relating to war
Finnish:
sotilas-
— relating to war
Finnish:
sota-
— relating to war
Galician:
militar
— relating to war
German:
Kriegs-
— relating to war
Greek:
πολεμικός
(polemikós)
— relating to war
Hindi:
सैन्य
(sainya)
— relating to war
Hungarian:
harci
— relating to war
Hungarian:
hadi
— relating to war
Kazakh:
әскери
(äskeri)
— relating to war
Iranian Persian:
جَنْگی
(jangi)
— relating to war
Iranian Persian:
حَرْبی
(harbi)
— relating to war
Polish:
wojenny
— relating to war
Portuguese:
militar
— relating to war
Russian:
вое́нный
(vojénnyj)
— relating to war
Spanish:
militar
— relating to war
Swedish:
krigisk
— relating to war
Swedish:
krigs-
— relating to war
Tajik:
ҳарбӣ
(harbi)
— relating to war
Tajik:
ҷангӣ
(jangi)
— relating to war
Turkish:
harbî
— relating to war
Turkmen:
harby
— relating to war
Ukrainian:
воє́нний
(vojénnyj)
— relating to war
Urdu:
جَن٘گی
(jaṅgī)
— relating to war
Uyghur:
ھەربىي
(herbiy)
— relating to war
Uzbek:
harbiy
— relating to war
Armenian:
ռազմական
(ṙazmakan)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Armenian:
մարտական
(martakan)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Bashkir:
хәрби
(xərbi)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Bulgarian:
войскови́
(vojskoví)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Catalan:
militar
— relating to armies or ground forces
Chinese Cantonese:
軍事 /军事
(gwan1 si6)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Chinese Mandarin:
軍事 /军事
(jūnshì)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Czech:
armádní
— relating to armies or ground forces
Dutch:
militair
— relating to armies or ground forces
Finnish:
sotilas-
— relating to armies or ground forces
Finnish:
sotilaallinen
— relating to armies or ground forces
Greek:
στρατιωτικός
(stratiotikós)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Hindi:
सैन्य
(sainya)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Hindi:
सैनिक
(sainik)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Irish:
míleata
— relating to armies or ground forces
Portuguese:
militar
— relating to armies or ground forces
Romanian:
militar
— relating to armies or ground forces
Russian:
вое́нный
(vojénnyj)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Spanish:
castrense
— relating to armies or ground forces
Swedish:
militär-
— relating to armies or ground forces
Ukrainian:
воє́нний
(vojénnyj)
— relating to armies or ground forces
Uyghur:
ھەربىي
(herbiy)
— relating to armies or ground forces
