mandala
Americannoun
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Oriental Art. a schematized representation of the cosmos, chiefly characterized by a concentric configuration of geometric shapes, each of which contains an image of a deity or an attribute of a deity.
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(in Jungian psychology) a symbol representing the effort to reunify the self.
noun
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Hindu & Buddhist art any of various designs symbolizing the universe, usually circular
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psychol such a symbol expressing a person's striving for unity of the self
Etymology
Origin of mandala
First recorded in 1855–60, mandala is from the Sanskrit word maṇḍala circle
Explanation
A mandala is a symbol of the universe for many Buddhists and Hindus. Most mandalas have colorful, detailed geometric patterns or designs. Mandalas are a type of religious and spiritual art with a deep significance for many people. As a symbol of the cosmos or universe, a traditional mandala is a square containing a circle, and the entire design is symmetrical and balanced. Some spiritual traditions use mandalas for meditation or for marking a spiritual space. The word mandala itself simply means "circle" in Sanskrit.
Vocabulary lists containing mandala
South Asia - Middle School and High School
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History of India - Introductory
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History of India - Middle School and High School
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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.
I found myself surprisingly moved by the meditative activities and programming, even if it felt silly at first to be constructing a mandala with leaves and twigs in the middle of a workweek.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The activities included things like drawing a tree or a mandala, writing haikus, mindful walking, talking about cycles of life and death in nature, and so on.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 15, 2024
They set up camping chairs under a bright blue sky during their session — a makeshift office without walls — and discussed how to create a circular design called a mandala.
From New York Times ● Feb. 5, 2024
‘Burton Kopelow: Squaring the Circle’ Two large mandala paintings by the Brooklyn-born, California-based artist who died in 2015 will be on display through Feb. 26.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 4, 2022
“Or have you ever seen a Buddhist sand mandala? They use these different colors of sand—it’s incredibly cool—and then they destroy it. On purpose.”
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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.
