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Martinet
A person who imposes strict discipline and demands obedience to orders; a very strict disciplinarian
noun💡
Imagine This
Martin is teaching his son how to use a fishing net. He tells him to hold the net at exactly a 75-degree angle while his legs must remain very straight. As you can see, he is a very strict person in how the net must be held in order to catch the salmon swimming upstream.
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Sounds Like
MAR-ti-net
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Looks Like
Martin net
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Remember This
The word originates from French and historically described a drillmaster or strict disciplinarian; it is often associated with military contexts.
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Other Forms
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Connect With
disciplinarian, drillmaster, taskmaster, authoritarian
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Note
A martinet denotes a high level of strictness and exact obedience to rules. It is somewhat pejorative and should be used when the speaker intends a stern, exacting supervisor. Do not confuse with words that describe general sternness (e.g., strict) or with unrelated terms like 'martini' or 'martial'.
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Study Deeper
Examples
- The coach was a martinet who demanded perfect form from every player.
- As a manager, he acted like a martinet, insisting on punctuality and exact procedures.
Synonyms
disciplinariandrillmastertaskmasterstrict disciplinarianauthoritarian
Antonyms
lenientpermissiveflexible
Etymology
From French martinet, a diminutive of Martin; historically used to describe a drillmaster or strict disciplinarian.
Mnemonic
Think of Martin with a net: Martin net — a strict, orderly figure who enforces exact rules.
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nounThe quality or state of being wildly unreasonable, illogical, or ridiculous; something that is completely contrary to reason or common sense.
Accent
nounA distinctive way of pronouncing words; the act of emphasizing a syllable or word (as a verb, to accent means to emphasize).
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Acronym
nounA word formed from the initial letters of a phrase, pronounced as a single word and used as a shorthand for the full name (for example, NASA or radar).
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