dharma

[ dahr-muh, duhr- ]

/ ˈdɑr mə, ˈdʌr- /

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See synonyms for dharma on Thesaurus.com

noun Hinduism, Buddhism.

essential quality or character, as of the cosmos or one's own nature.

conformity to religious law, custom, duty, or one's own quality or character.

virtue.

religion.

law, especially religious law.

the doctrine or teaching of the Buddha.

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Pali dham·ma

[duhm-uh]. /ˈdʌm ə/.

Origin of dharma

1790–1800; <Sanskrit: custom, duty, akin to dhārayati holds, maintains

OTHER WORDS FROM dharma

dharmic, adjective

Words nearby dharma

Dhaka, dhāl, dhaman, dhamma, dhansak, dharma, dharna, Dharuk, Dhaulagiri, DHB, DHEA

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dharma in a sentence

Eventually, in the early decades of the first millennium, they wrote legal texts, the Dharmashastras, which told people of different classes how they should act in accordance with their dharma.
What Ancient Laws Can Teach Us About Holding Autocrats to Account Today|Fernanda Pirie|December 23, 2021|Time
Levine wrote about his life in his 2004 memoir, Dharma Punx, the book that started a worldwide movement sharing the same name.
The Buddhist Punk Reforming Drug Rehab|Stephen Krcmar|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There are Dharma Punx chapters all over the US, as well as abroad.
The Buddhist Punk Reforming Drug Rehab|Stephen Krcmar|June 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Among them are Art Kibbutz NYC and Dharma Drink, the Buddhist art Meetup group.
Pawel Althamer Creates Art That’s by the People, for the People at the New Museum|Jessica Dawson|February 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST

She insisted they go through the long campaign together to test the impact of her dharma on their relationship.
New Feminists: Young, Multicultural, Strategic, and Looking Out for Each Other|Gail Sheehy|February 26, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The named plaintiffs in the Texas class-action case are Sgt. Richard Corder, an Army infantry squad leader, and his wife, Dharma.
Two Companies Accused of Fleecing U.S. Troops|R.M. Schneiderman|March 6, 2012|DAILY BEAST
This is what the Hindus call Dharma, and it is the teacher's duty to find out the boy's dharma and to help him to fulfil it.
Education as Service|J. Krishnamurti
This the natives maintain marks the height of the water as often as Dubrotis, (Dharma Rajah's consort), bathed herself in it.
Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume I|Karl Ritter von Scherzer
And the illustrious Rishi Narada, accepting that worship, comforted the son of Dharma in proper terms.
Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa Bk. 3 Pt. 1|Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa
Over the tea of Dharma the mandarins related Chinese tales for the entertainment of the illustrious American.
Little Sky-High|Hezekiah Butterworth
Dharma, god of wisdom and holiness, addressed Yudhishthira his son many questions, which he answered piously and well.
Indian Myth and Legend|Donald Alexander Mackenzie

British Dictionary definitions for dharma

dharma

/ (ˈdɑːmə) /

noun

Hinduism social custom regarded as a religious and moral duty

Hinduism

the essential principle of the cosmos; natural law
conduct that conforms with this

Buddhism ideal truth as set forth in the teaching of Buddha

Word Origin for dharma

Sanskrit: habit, usage, law, from dhārayati he holds

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

dharma

Origin of dharma

OTHER WORDS FROM dharma

Words nearby dharma

Words related to dharma

How to use dharma in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for dharma

Word Origin for dharma