fatwa
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of fatwa
First recorded in 1985–90, fatwa is from the Arabic word fatwā
Vocabulary lists containing fatwa
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.
When asked if he believed Matar was motivated to carry out the fatwa, Rushdie replied: "I had no knowledge of that. I have my suspicions," according to US media.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Ditto for Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s encounter with wolves in the garden of his villa in Vermont, or Ruhollah Khomeini’s fatwa on Salman Rushdie.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
AP: I remember you writing about how, after the fatwa, there was a period where fiction was a struggle.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 19, 2024
He then issued a religious edict, or fatwa, that allowed image-making and the depiction of living beings for scientific and educational purposes, so long as it did not lead to idolatry.
From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2023
The fatwa remains active via a quasi-official religious foundation.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2023
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.
