ayatollah

noun

aya·​tol·​lah ˌī-ə-ˈtō-lə How to pronounce ayatollah (audio) -ˈtä- How to pronounce ayatollah (audio)
-ˈtə-,
ˈī-ə-ˌtō-,
-ˌtä-,
-ˌtə-
: a religious leader among Shiite Muslims
used as a title of respect especially for one who is not an imam

Examples of ayatollah in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Azerbaijan, a majority Shia Muslim but staunchly secular country bordering Iran, has long clashed with the ayatollahs’ theocracy in Tehran. Wesley Alexander Hill, Forbes, 23 Jan. 2025 Notably, Assad was pliant to the ayatollahs’ Iran, the theocratic state bent on reshaping the region in the name of Shi’ite jihad. Bassem Eid, New York Daily News, 2 Jan. 2025 Yet what concerned the ayatollah–understandably enough–was the stability of his own regime. Kay Armin Serjoie, TIME, 16 Dec. 2024 Video posted online showed the ayatollah seated alone on a platform as the crowd silently listened to his speech. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ayatollah 

Word History

Etymology

Persian āyatollāh, literally, sign of God, from Arabic āyatallāh, from āya sign, miracle + allāh God

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ayatollah was in 1950

Dictionary Entries Near ayatollah

Cite this Entry

“Ayatollah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ayatollah. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.

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