mahatma

[ muh-haht-muh, -hat- ]

See synonyms for mahatma on Thesaurus.com

noun(sometimes initial capital letter)

a Brahman sage.
(especially in India) a person who is held in the highest esteem for wisdom and saintliness.

(in Theosophy) a great sage who has renounced further spiritual development in order to aid those who are less advanced.

Origin of mahatma

1850–55; <Sanskrit mahātmā, nominative singular of mahātman high-souled, magnanimous, equivalent to mahā- great + ātmanatman

Other words from mahatma

ma·hat·ma·ism, noun

Words Nearby mahatma

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

How to use mahatma in a sentence

He visited the White House and advised Indian leader mahatma Gandhi.
Growth Stocks | The Daily Beast | October 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Nobel committee said he was continuing in the noble tradition of mahatma Gandhi.
Malala Yousafzai Is the Youngest Nobel Peace Prize Winner in History | Nico Hines | October 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
South Africa, not India, was the crucible in which the mahatma was forged.
Best Books About the Rest of the World | Kapil Komireddi | December 24, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
First film recording of mahatma Gandhi, 1931, is now available on YouTube.
Watch: Gandhi's First Video Interview | David Frum | February 4, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
If mahatma Gandhi returned and was democratically elected as president of the Palestinian Authority, it would not matter.
Why I Like Naftali Bennett | Shaul Magid | January 17, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST

That was an unusually long speech for my mahatma—proof that he was very much in earnest.
The Affable Stranger | Peter McArthur
It was not in vain that mahatma declared, “put up thy sword into the sheath.”
Freedom Through Disobedience | C. R. (Chittaranjan) Das
The idea was, to quote the words of mahatma Gandhi, “political” and not “educational.”
Freedom Through Disobedience | C. R. (Chittaranjan) Das
It was, to quote the words of mahatma Gandhi, “a concession to popular agitation.”
Freedom Through Disobedience | C. R. (Chittaranjan) Das
This is what mahatma teaches us and this is the message of all India.
Chitta Ranjan | Sukumar Ranjan Das

British Dictionary definitions for mahatma

mahatma

/ (məˈhɑːtmə, -ˈhæt-) /

noun(sometimes capital)

Hinduism a Brahman sage
theosophy an adept or sage

Origin of mahatma

C19: from Sanskrit mahātman, from mahā great + ātman soul

Derived forms of mahatma

mahatmaism, noun

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

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