martialEnglishOxford American Thesaurusmartial adjective 1 their martial exploits: military, soldierly, soldier-like, army, naval, fighting, service; courageous, brave, valiant, valorous, heroic. ▷antonyms civil, civilian. 2 one of the most powerful and martial tribes: warlike, combative, belligerent, bellicose, aggressive, pugnacious, gung-ho, militant, militaristic. ▷antonyms peaceable.