Pahlavi
1 Americannoun
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the Indo-European, Iranian language of the Zoroastrian literature of the 3rd to the 10th centuries.
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the script used in writing this language, derived from the Aramaic alphabet.
noun
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Pahlavis
plural
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Muhammad Riza (or Reza) 1919–80, shah of Iran 1941–79; in exile after 1979 (son of Riza Shah Pahlavi).
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Riza (or Reza) Shah, 1877–1944, shah of Iran 1925–41.
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(lowercase) a former gold coin of Iran, equal to 20 rials.
noun
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Mohammed Reza (ˈriːzə). 1919–80, shah of Iran (1941–79); forced into exile (1979) during civil unrest following which an Islamic republic was established led by the Ayatollah Khomeini
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his father, Reza. 1877–1944, shah of Iran (1925–41). Originally an army officer, he gained power by a coup d'état (1921) and was chosen shah by the National Assembly. He reorganized the army and did much to modernize Iran
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of Pahlavi
First recorded in 1765–75, Pahlavi is from the Persian word Pahlavī Parthian
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:
Her father and mother often argue about Pahlavi, she adds.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
Reza Pahlavi, the eldest son of the last shah of Iran and pretender to the throne, was a scheduled speaker, and the event was packed with Iranian monarchists.
From Slate ● Mar. 27, 2026
In 1979 Americans immediately felt the malign effects of that year’s Islamic revolution, which replaced the autocratic but modernizing Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
Hanging on the wall is a large portrait of Iran's last shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was ousted in the Islamic revolution and died in exile.
From Barron's ● Mar. 13, 2026
The country officially switched to the Solar Hijri calendar in 1925, under the Pahlavi dynasty.
From "Americanized" by Sara Saedi
Under the Pahlavis, Iran was a reliable partner for both.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 21, 2026
Three midlevel Iranian government officials, reached over the past week to discuss other issues, brought up unprompted that they privately longed for the return of the Pahlavis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 10, 2026
It was used by every dynasty for 800 years, including the Safavids, Qajars and Pahlavis.
From The Guardian ● Jun. 17, 2015
Egypt, Morocco and Mexico provided temporary havens, but as the Pahlavis were forced to move on, they increasingly found themselves in a dog-eat-Shah world.
From Time Magazine Archive
No evidence uncovered so far in East Germany indicates plundering on a scale to rival world-class pillagers of national treasuries like the Marcos family of the Philippines or the Pahlavis of Iran.
From Time Magazine Archive
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.
