Sunni

American  

[soon-ee] / ˈsʊn i /

noun

Islam.

1. 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.

2. (used with a plural verb) the Sunni Muslims.

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Sunni British  

/ ˈsʌnɪ /

noun

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

2. another term for Sunnite

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Other Word Forms

• Sunnism noun

Etymology

Origin of Sunni

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

Compare meaning

How does sunni compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Sunni vs. Shiʿite

Example Sentences

Two thirds of its people are thought to be Muslim – Sunni and Shia populations are relatively equal in size – and a third is Christian.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

Shiite and Sunni Islamists may differ on the details of what an Islamic society should look like.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

As a Shiite-majority nation, Iran has long held fractious and even hostile relationships with Sunni jihadist actors.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Why shouldn’t that work in the Middle East, even if he can’t distinguish Sunni from Shia and doesn’t understand the basic geography of the region?

From Salon • Mar. 14, 2026

But she learned that there were Shiite and Sunni interpretations of the Qur’an, and within any mosque there were the same variations in faith and commitment as there were in any church.

From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers