Sufi

noun

Su·​fi ˈsü-(ˌ)fē How to pronounce Sufi (audio)
: a Muslim mystic
Sufi adjective
Sufic adjective
Sufism noun

Examples of Sufi in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web As a result, Commins notes, Wahhabism has been superimposed for two centuries on a society that was traditionally much more plural, with important roles for Shiites and Sufi mystics. David Commins, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2015 Encouraged by his mother, and inspired by her traditions of Sufi mysticism, Walid eventually became a full-time artist, creating paintings and engravings of the evocative landscape around Umm al-Fahem. Isabel Kershner, BostonGlobe.com, 22 July 2023 Khalid Abdel Rahman, whose work depicts landscapes of Khartoum neighborhoods and Sufi tombs, fled his studio in Khartoum 3 without his paintings and says he’s been thinking about how the conflict will affect his vision and future creations. Abdi Latif Dahir, New York Times, 28 May 2023 And for listeners, discovering the sounds of traditional Pakistani music – including new twists on familiar qawwalis, or Sufi devotional songs – brought its own kind of joy. Hasan Ali, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 May 2023 Both secular and religious souls continued, meanwhile, to quote from the Sufi poems that Iranian schoolchildren, to this day, learn by heart. Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 14 Dec. 2022 Housed on the ground floor of a 1930s apartment block, still with its original elevator, across the hallway is the equally delightful cafe and bookshop Sufi, invariably packed with a mixture of students and expats. Sarah Turner, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Sufi.' 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

Arabic ṣūfī, perhaps from ṣūf wool

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Sufi was in 1653

Dictionary Entries Near Sufi

Cite this Entry

“Sufi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sufi. Accessed 26 Sep. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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