ayatollah
noun
aya·tol·lah
ˌī-ə-ˈtō-lə 
-ˈtä-
-ˈtä-
-ˈtə-,
ˈī-ə-ˌtō-,
-ˌtä-,
-ˌtə-
: a religious leader among Shiite Muslims
—used as a title of respect especially for one who is not an imam
Examples of ayatollah in a Sentence
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The ayatollah has apparently brought in foreign militias from Iraq and Hezbollah to try and squash protests and made plans to flee to Russia just in case, according to reports.
—
Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
Americans are deeply sensitive about their symbolic figures, their ayatollahs in judicial robes, their immaculate founding myths.
—Ahmed Naji, The Dial, 18 Nov. 2025
That ornery cleric was Moqtada al-Sadr, the son of Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr, a grand ayatollah assassinated almost certainly by Saddam’s order in 1999.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
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Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Jan. 2026
Americans are deeply sensitive about their symbolic figures, their ayatollahs in judicial robes, their immaculate founding myths.
—Ahmed Naji, The Dial, 18 Nov. 2025
That ornery cleric was Moqtada al-Sadr, the son of Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr, a grand ayatollah assassinated almost certainly by Saddam’s order in 1999.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
One ayatollah in particular, Ruhollah Khomeini, needled the Shah incessantly.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ayatollah
Cite this Entry
“Ayatollah.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ayatollah. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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