Sunni

[soo n-ee]

noun Islam.

Also called Sunnite. a member of one of the two great religious divisions of Islam, regarding the first four caliphs as legitimate successors of Muhammad and stressing the importance of Sunna as a basis for law.Compare Shiʿite.

(used with a plural verb) the Sunni Muslims.

Origin of Sunni

1620–30; < Arabic sunnī, derivative of sunnah Sunna

Related formsSun·nism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sunni

Contemporary Examples of sunni

Within a few years, Iran had jailed or driven from the country more than 60 Sunni clerics.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan
Umar Farooq
December 29, 2014
Riots broke out in 1994, after Iranian authorities replaced a Sunni mosque in Mashad with a development project.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan
Umar Farooq
December 29, 2014
The Baluch in Iran do not speak Farsi but Baluchi, just like the Baluch in Pakistan, and in Iran they are a Sunni minority.
The Dangerous Drug-Funded Secret War Between Iran and Pakistan
Umar Farooq
December 29, 2014
When a popular Sunni televangelist does it, to forgive is divine.
Disco Mullah Blasphemy Row Highlights Pakistan’s Hypocrisy
Shaheen Pasha
December 21, 2014
A Shiite stronghold wrapped in a Sunni explosive belt—not exactly a picture of stability.
The Nuclear Deal That Iran’s Regime Fears Most
Djavad Khadem
November 22, 2014

Historical Examples of sunni

The kings of these lines adopted the names Dia, Sunni, and Askia.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 2, 1917
Various
The Hanbalites are one of the four great sects of the Sunni Mohammedans.
All About Coffee
William H. Ukers
The Bektashi group had always been much more liberal and forward looking than the Sunni.
Area Handbook for Albania
Eugene K. Keefe
The story of his life as handed down by Shiah or Sunni writers has been much exaggerated.
Mystics and Saints of Islam
Claud Field
Later it expanded considerably under Sunni Ali, "the true Negro soldier," who ruled from 1464 to 1493.
The Journal of Negro History, Volume 2, 1917
Various

British Dictionary definitions for sunni

Sunni

noun

one of the two main branches of orthodox Islam (the other being the Shiah), consisting of those who acknowledge the authority of the Sunna

plural -nis or -ni another term for Sunnite

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

Word Origin and History for sunni

Sunni

1620s, from Arabic, literally "lawful," from Sunna "traditional teachings of Muhammad," literally "way, custom, course, tradition." Muslims who accept the orthodox tradition as well as the Quran.