Hero vs. Martyr

Heronoun

Somebody who possesses great bravery and carries out extraordinary deeds.

Heronoun

A role model.

Heronoun

(authorship) The main protagonist in a work of fiction.

Heronoun

(poker) The current player, especially an hypothetical player for example and didactic purposes. Compare: any opponent player. Not to be confused with a weak call against a supposed bluff.

Heronoun

(US) A large sandwich made from meats and cheeses; a hero sandwich.

Heronoun

The product chosen from several candidates to be photographed.

Heronoun

An illustrious man, supposed to be exalted, after death, to a place among the gods; a demigod, as Hercules.

Heronoun

A man of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or event; hence, a great or illustrious person.

Heronoun

The principal personage in a poem, story, and the like, or the person who has the principal share in the transactions related; as Achilles in the Iliad, Ulysses in the Odyssey, and Æneas in the Æneid.

Heronoun

a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength;

Heronoun

the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem

Heronoun

someone who fights for a cause

Heronoun

Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)

Heronoun

(classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god

Heronoun

(Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her

Heronoun

a large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States

Hero

A hero (heroine in its feminine form) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly solely gender-specific terms (like actor), hero is often used to refer to any gender, though heroine only refers to women.

Martyrnoun

One who willingly accepts being put to death for adhering openly to one's religious beliefs; notably, saints canonized after martyrdom.

Martyrnoun

(by extension) One who sacrifices his or her life, station, or something of great personal value, for the sake of principle or to sustain a cause.

Martyrnoun

One who suffers greatly and/or constantly, even involuntarily.

Martyrverb

(transitive) To make someone into a martyr by putting him or her to death for adhering to, or acting in accordance with, some belief, especially religious; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.

Martyrverb

(transitive) To persecute.

Martyrverb

(transitive) To torment; to torture.

Martyrnoun

One who, by his death, bears witness to the truth of the gospel; one who is put to death for his religion; as, Stephen was the first Christian martyr.

Martyrnoun

Hence, one who sacrifices his life, his station, or what is of great value to him, for the sake of principle, or to sustain a cause.

Martyrverb

To put to death for adhering to some belief, esp. Christianity; to sacrifice on account of faith or profession.

Martyrverb

To persecute; to torment; to torture.

Martyrnoun

one who suffers for the sake of principle

Martyrnoun

one who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty for refusing to renounce their religion

Martyrverb

kill as a martyr;

Martyrverb

torture and torment like a martyr

Martyrnoun

a person who is killed because of their religious or other beliefs

Martyrnoun

a person who displays or exaggerates their discomfort or distress in order to obtain sympathy

Martyrnoun

a constant sufferer from (an ailment)

Martyrverb

kill (someone) because of their beliefs

Martyrverb

cause great pain or distress to

Martyr

A martyr (Greek: μάρτυς, mártys, stem μαρτυρ-, martyr-) is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or cause as demanded by an external party. In the martyrdom narrative of the remembering community, this refusal to comply with the presented demands results in the punishment or execution of an actor by an alleged oppressor.