mujtahid
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of mujtahid
1805–15; < Arabic: literally, one who exerts himself; see ijtihad
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In 2022, a news outlet associated with the seminary in the holy city of Qom referred to him as an “ayatollah” for the first time, suggesting he had reached the rank of mujtahid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
The supreme leader must also be a mujtahid, a cleric qualified to issue religious rulings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
Alireza Arafi, whose name has also come up as a potential successor, attained the rank of an ayatollah, or mujtahid, after publishing over 20 books and articles on Islamic jurisprudence and philosophy.
From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2026
There was, in the city of Najaf, among the disciples of the widely known mujtahid, Shaykh Murtadá, a man without likeness or peer.
From Memorials of the Faithful by `Abdu'l-Bahá
With praises showered upon him, he received his new rank from the mujtahid.
From Memorials of the Faithful by `Abdu'l-Bahá
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
