Tamil Nadu

American  

[nah-doo] / ˈnɑ du /

noun

1. a large state in S India: formerly a presidency; boundaries readjusted on a linguistic basis 1956. 50,216 sq. mi. (130,058 sq. km). Chennai.

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Tamil Nadu British  

/ ˈtæmɪl nɑːˈduː /

noun

1. Former name (until 1968): Madras.  a state of SE India, on the Coromandel Coast: reorganized in 1956 and 1960 and made smaller; consists of a coastal plain backed by hills, including the Nilgiri Hills in the west Capital: Chennai (formerly called Madras). Pop: 62 110 839 (2001). Area: 130 058 sq km (50 216 sq miles)

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Example Sentences

Voters in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal ousted ruling parties due to economic frustrations over a lack of jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

It won only one out of 234 seats in Tamil Nadu and three out of 140 in next-door Kerala, both of which have significant numbers of Christians and Muslims.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

Tamil Nadu does not merely admire its film stars - it invests in them, often seeing in them a more immediate and personal form of justice.

From BBC • May 5, 2026

In Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin's DMK government was swept aside by actor-turned-politician Vijay and his fledgling TVK party, marking the dramatic return of film-star politics to the state.

From BBC • May 4, 2026

Richard Parker was born in Bangla­desh and raised in Tamil Nadu, so why should he have a French ac­cent?

From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel