niqab
Britishnoun
Etymology
Origin of niqab
C20: from Arabic
Explanation
A niqab is a cloth that covers the face of a devout Muslim woman. Specifically, a niqab is worn below the eyes, covering the nose and mouth. While some observant Muslim women wear a burka, which covers the entire body, and others wear only a hijab that covers their hair and sometimes their neck, still others wear a niqab. The niqab leaves the eyes uncovered, and it's almost always worn with a separate scarf covering the hair. Women who follow this tradition wear a niqab when they are in public or in the company of men they aren't related to.
Vocabulary lists containing niqab
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.
She is Syria's first-ever lawmaker to wear the full-face Islamic niqab veil.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
"He joked about the niqab, and women driving. He also did a skit about how people in Riyadh think they are god's gift to earth."
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2025
There are also several scenes that show the daughters talking about the hajib and niqab.
From Salon ● Oct. 27, 2023
Her community doesn’t believe that though, and she claims it’s because she wears the conservative niqab veil that covers most of her face.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 29, 2022
She lets her niqab drop, then the eye screen.
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
