Hindu
Americannoun
adjective
noun
-
a person who adheres to Hinduism
-
an inhabitant or native of Hindustan or India, esp one adhering to Hinduism
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Hindu
1655–65; < Persian Hindū Indian (adj., noun), equivalent to Hind ( see Hindi) + -ū adj. suffix
Compare meaning
How does hindu compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
In May, the Hindu nationalist BJP ousted the regional Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, ending its nearly 16-year rule in the Bangladesh-bordering state.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Since Modi came to power numerous Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh places of worship have undergone extensive renovation, as have holy sites such as Varanasi, Sarnath and Bodh Gaya.
From Barron's ● Jun. 25, 2026
As the story piles up coincidences—or “synchronicities,” to use the Jungian term Shoma favors—it increasingly aligns with Hindu mysticism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026
Bengal was divided along religious lines into predominantly Hindu West Bengal, which became part of India, and Muslim-majority East Pakistan, later becoming Bangladesh.
From Barron's ● May 29, 2026
The very word zero smacks of its Hindu and Arabic roots.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
![]()
Khan hit back in a newspaper interview, saying that Trafalgar Square had hosted public events for Christians, Hindus and Sikhs.
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus -- a population that makes up roughly seven percent in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
From Barron's ● Feb. 17, 2026
Baba is a commonly used term in India to refer to mystics and religious gurus and also to fathers or grandfathers by both Hindus and Muslims.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
Hindus made up 14.6 percent of Bangladesh's population after independence in 1971, but their share has declined sharply to less than 10 percent in the officially secular country.
From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026
The Aristotelian wall was crumbling, thanks to the influence of the Muslims and the Hindus, and by the 1400s even the staunchest European supporters of Aristotelianism had their doubts.
From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife
![]()
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.