Mahdi
Americannoun
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Mahdis
plural
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the Muslim messiah, an expected spiritual and temporal ruler destined to establish a reign of righteousness throughout the world.
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any of various claimants to this role, especially Muhammad Ahmed, who established an independent government in the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan that lasted until 1898.
noun
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the title assumed by Mohammed Ahmed. ?1843–85, Sudanese military leader, who led a revolt against Egypt (1881) and captured Khartoum (1885)
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Islam any of a number of Muslim messiahs expected to convert all mankind to Islam
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of Mahdi
First recorded in 1790–1800, Mahdi is from the Arabic word mahdīy he who is guided
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:
“Iran has a hybrid strategy in the current war,” wrote Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior advisor to Iran’s chief negotiator, in a post on X.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
"If the semiconductor industry wants to succeed with 2D materials, the active layer and the insulating layer must be designed together from the very beginning," emphasizes Mahdi Pourfath.
From Science Daily ● May 9, 2026
"They were amazing, actually, nearly perfect," researcher Prof Adam Mahdi tells me.
From BBC ● Apr. 18, 2026
Believers say he will emerge in the historical region of Khorasan to lead forces in support of the Mahdi and against the enemies of Islam.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 15, 2026
Fedora tilted to one side, suit neady buttoned, face in shadow, the Mahdi approaches her.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
Mahdis now lives in Irvine, Calif., teaches English as a second language, and is pursuing a master’s degree.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2020
Mahdis was born in Iowa and grew up in California.
From Slate ● Nov. 10, 2020
Already various Mahdis had made their appearance; several had been highly successful, and two, in medieval times, had founded dynasties in Egypt.
From Eminent Victorians by Giles Lytton Strachey
The Mahdis who have arisen in Mohammedan Africa, and other Moslem prophets, have produced wonderful phenomena of this kind.
From Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals by William Graham Sumner
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.
