ayatollah
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of ayatollah
1975–80; < Persian < Arabic āyat allāh sign of God; cf. Allah
Vocabulary lists containing ayatollah
The Middle East and Central Asia - Middle School
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The Middle East and Central Asia - High School
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Muslim Empires and the Middle East - High School
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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.
Larijani, 68, has been described as a "true insider" in Iran, close to the late ayatollah and central to the republic's nuclear policy and strategic diplomacy over decades.
From Barron's • Mar. 17, 2026
Let’s begin with the new ayatollah, who does appear to have quite a few similarities to the last ayatollah.
From Slate • Mar. 14, 2026
Ali Khamenei also was not an ayatollah, as the constitution requires, when chosen as supreme leader, though he later assumed the title.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026
The second, most prominent, son of the late ayatollah is in his father's ultraconservative mould.
From BBC • Mar. 9, 2026
A grand ayatollah and source of emulation has the authority to make legal decisions for his lay followers and for lower-ranking clerics in Iran and the wider Shiite world.
From Salon • Mar. 6, 2026
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.
