Standard Lemma guide

swordsman

noun · 4 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: /ˈsɔːdsmən/
  • General-American: /ˈsɔɹdsmən/
  • General-American: /ˈsoɹdsmən/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person skilled at using swords in sport or combat; a fencer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He is a remarkable swordsman.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A person who fights with a sword.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Archers attempted to take down an unknown swordsman.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A man who is a skillful or enthusiastic practitioner of sexual intercourse.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

someone skilled at fencing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fencer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: combatant, battler, belligerent, fighter, scrapper

History

Etymology

Etymology tree English sword English -s- Proto-Indo-European *mon- Proto-Germanic *mann- Proto-West Germanic *mann Old English mann Middle English man English man English swordsman From sword + -s- + man.

Across languages

Translations

83 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَيَّاف (sayyāf) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Armenian: սուսերամարտիկ (suseramartik) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Belarusian: фехтава́льшчык (fjextaválʹščyk) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Bulgarian: фехто́вчик (fehtóvčik) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Catalan: espadatxí — a person skilled at using swords
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劍客 /剑客 (jiànkè) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劍士 /剑士 (jiànshì) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Czech: šermíř — a person skilled at using swords
  • Danish: fægter — a person skilled at using swords
  • Dutch: zwaardvechter — a person skilled at using swords
  • Dutch: schermer — a person skilled at using swords
  • Estonian: vehkleja (fencer) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Estonian: mõõgavõitleja — a person skilled at using swords
  • Estonian: mõõgasulane — a person skilled at using swords
  • Finnish: miekkailija — a person skilled at using swords
  • Finnish: miekkamies — a person skilled at using swords
  • French: maître d'armes — a person skilled at using swords
  • French: escrimeur — a person skilled at using swords
  • French: fine lame — a person skilled at using swords
  • Georgian: მოფარიკავე (mopariḳave) — a person skilled at using swords
  • German: Fechter — a person skilled at using swords
  • Greek: ξιφομάχος (xifomáchos) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Ancient Greek: ξιφήρης (xiphḗrēs) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Indonesian: ahli pedang — a person skilled at using swords
  • Italian: spadaccino — a person skilled at using swords
  • Japanese: 剣客 (kenkaku) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Kazakh: семсерші (semserşı) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Kazakh: қылышкер (qylyşker) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Korean: 검객 (geomgaek) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Korean: 검술사 (geomsulsa) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Latin: gladiator — a person skilled at using swords
  • Latvian: paukotājs — a person skilled at using swords
  • Lithuanian: fechtuotojas — a person skilled at using swords
  • Macedonian: мечу́валец (mečúvalec) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Marathi: तलवारबाज (talvārbāj) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Norwegian Bokmål: fekter — a person skilled at using swords
  • Persian: شمشیرزن (šamširzan) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Persian: شمشیرباز (šamširbâz) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Polish: szermierz — a person skilled at using swords
  • Portuguese: espadeiro — a person skilled at using swords
  • Romanian: scrimer — a person skilled at using swords
  • Russian: фехтова́льщик (fextoválʹščik) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Serbo-Croatian: мачѐвалац — a person skilled at using swords
  • Serbo-Croatian: mačèvalac — a person skilled at using swords
  • Slovak: šermiar — a person skilled at using swords
  • Slovene: sabljač — a person skilled at using swords
  • Spanish: espadachín — a person skilled at using swords
  • Swedish: fäktare — a person skilled at using swords
  • Tajik: шамшербоз (šamšerboz) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Turkish: eskrimci — a person skilled at using swords
  • Ukrainian: фехтува́льник (fextuválʹnyk) — a person skilled at using swords
  • Uzbek: qilichboz — a person skilled at using swords
  • Vietnamese: tay kiếm — a person skilled at using swords
  • Vietnamese: kiếm sĩ — a person skilled at using swords
  • Arabic: سَيَّاف (sayyāf) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Belarusian: ме́чнік (mjéčnik) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Bulgarian: мечоно́сец (mečonósec) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劍客 /剑客 (jiànkè) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Chinese Mandarin: 劍士 /剑士 (jiànshì) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Dutch: zwaardvechter — a person who fights with a sword
  • Estonian: mõõkleja — a person who fights with a sword
  • Estonian: mõõgamees — a person who fights with a sword
  • Finnish: miekkailija — a person who fights with a sword
  • Finnish: miekkamies — a person who fights with a sword
  • French: épéiste — a person who fights with a sword
  • German: Schwertkämpfer — a person who fights with a sword
  • Greek: ξιφομάχος (xifomáchos) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Ancient Greek: ξιφήρης (xiphḗrēs) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Japanese: 剣士 (kenshi) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Japanese: 剣客 (kenkaku) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Korean: 검객 (geomgaek) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Korean: 검사 (geomsa) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Macedonian: мечу́валец (mečúvalec) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Macedonian: мечо́носец (mečónosec) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Macedonian: ме́чувач (méčuvač) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Marathi: तलवारबाज (talvārbāj) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Persian: شمشیرزن (šamširzan) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Polish: szermierz — a person who fights with a sword
  • Portuguese: espadachim — a person who fights with a sword
  • Russian: ме́чник (méčnik) — a person who fights with a sword
  • Slovene: mečevalec — a person who fights with a sword
  • Swedish: fäktare — a person who fights with a sword
  • Ukrainian: ме́чник (méčnyk) — a person who fights with a sword