Hindu

1 of 2

noun

Hin·​du ˈhin-(ˌ)dü How to pronounce Hindu (audio)
variants or less commonly Hindoo
1
: an adherent of Hinduism
2
: a native or inhabitant of India

Hindu

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly Hindoo
: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Hindus or Hinduism

Examples of Hindu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But it was received well in many quarters, with Modi’s followers praising the leader for his dedication to the majority Hindu faith. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 That is also likely when Indians will have their shot at saying whether Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party continues to lead the world’s largest democracy. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 15 Mar. 2024 Opposition parties in the country have criticized Modi for ushering in the new act just before the election and accused his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of using divisive measures to appeal to Hindu voters. Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024 The film pulls its framework from the legend of Hanuman, a monkey commander in Hindu mythology who is held up as an example of courage, devotion and strength. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024 The crowd’s love for Patel only grew more fervent as the film went on, revealing not only a new cinematic voice, but a surprisingly political action thriller that saw Patel’s character take on the Hindu caste system with teeth, knives and blood. Selome Hailu, Variety, 12 Mar. 2024 The project, which merges folk, experimental music, and Hindu and Urdu poetry, is dense, mythological, and emotionally fraught. Vrinda Jagota, SPIN, 11 Mar. 2024 In separate incidents over the last year, windows were smashed at the Indian Consulate in San Francisco during a pro-Khalistan rally and pro-Khalistan graffiti was scrawled on two Bay Area Hindu temples. Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2024 His answer was in the know-how of sailors and fishermen, in Caribbean performances derived from African masquerades and Hindu epics—in other words, intangible cultural heritage. Julian Lucas, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The government’s action, coming just before India announces the dates for an election expected in April and May, shows Mr. Modi delivering on a promise, and could change the electoral math in districts with Hindu refugees who stand to benefit from the law. Sameer Yasir, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2024 Upon their release, the convicts had been garlanded with flowers by well-wishers and praised by a BJP lawmaker as good Brahmins, the highest Hindu caste. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 On Friday, there was an interfaith prayer breakfast at Nazarene Baptist Church that featured two members of Congress who are Hindu, U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, and U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-California, and Baptist pastors, including Pastor Kevin Harris of Nazarene. Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 26 Feb. 2024 The city occupies a mythic place in the Hindu imagination: Much of the action in the epic Ramayana, whose tenets have been central to Hindu life for millennia, takes place in Ayodhya. Vaibhav Vats, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2024 Modi himself chose to contest the parliamentary elections from Varanasi, an ancient city with countless temples that is generally recognized as the most important center of Hindu identity. Ramachandra Guha, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 The majority of Nepal’s 29 million people are Hindu, and every neighborhood has a temple that houses such items. Binaj Gurubacharya, Fortune, 15 Feb. 2024 About 80% of India’s 1.4 billion people are Hindu, but the country is home to a diverse group of religions and faiths, including Sikhs, Buddhists and one of the world’s largest Muslim populations of some 230 million. Rhea Mogul, CNN, 15 Feb. 2024 Despite his efforts to keep his son Prahlad from worshiping Vishnu, the Hindu protector of the universe, Prahlad persisted. Madeline Nguyen, The Arizona Republic, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Hindu.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Persian Hindū inhabitant of India, from Hind India

First Known Use

Noun

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1698, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hindu was in 1625

Dictionary Entries Near Hindu

Cite this Entry

“Hindu.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hindu. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Hindu

noun
Hin·​du
ˈhin-(ˌ)dü
1
: a follower of Hinduism
2
: a person born or living in India
Hindu adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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