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Wahhabism

American  
[wuh-hah-biz-uhm, wah-] / wəˈhɑ bɪz əm, wɑ- /
Also Wahhabiism

noun

  1. the group of doctrines or practices of the Wahhabis.


Etymology

Origin of Wahhabism

First recorded in 1820–30; Wahhab(i) + -ism

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.

Or one could argue the opposite: The presence of a unifying caliph might have, as it had for centuries, moderated the expansion of marginal extremist movements such as Wahhabism or, in our time, Islamic State.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

An adherent of Wahhabism, a conservative and fundamentalist interpretation of Sunni Islam, he hopes to rally a population exhausted by over a decade of conflict.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

That country’s Wahhabism had arisen as a puritan reform of Sunnism in the 18th century.

From Salon • Jul. 14, 2024

However, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has curbed the influence of Wahhabism on Saudi society and arts, also reining in the religious police and letting women drive cars.

From Reuters • Mar. 13, 2023

At Riad, Fesal, who had been in power since the Egyptian retirement, was still reigning; and the religious tyranny of Wahhabism prevailed, in marked contrast to the liberal r�gime of Talal in Jebel Shammar.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 3 "Apollodorus" to "Aral" by Various

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