: a member of a dynasty of caliphs (750–1258) ruling the Islamic empire especially from their capital Baghdad and claiming descent from Abbas the uncle of Muhammad
Examples of Abbasid in a Sentence
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During her lifetime, the Abbasid dynasty rose to power in Baghdad and quickly sought to curtail the imamate’s popularity because many Muslims viewed Ali’s family as the only legitimate rulers.
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Mary Thurlkill, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026
What struck outsiders about Rome, Abbasid Baghdad, or Song China was the extent of freedom enjoyed by relatively large segments of the population compared to their own, and the correspondingly higher living standards.
—Johan Norberg, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2026
The Arabic prince and poet Abdallah ibn al-Mu’tazz wrote a consideration of poetry, Kitab al-Badi, in the ninth century, some time before his one day reign as leader of the Abbasid Caliphate.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
This single feast, emblematic of Fes’s cuisine, carries the taste of the courtly table of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, the flavors served at the Alhambra in Islamic Andalucia, a blend of West African spices, and Amazigh know-how.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Dec. 2025
It was found among other pottery pieces dating to the Abbasid period, which began around 750 C.E. with the rise of the Abbasid caliphate in the Middle East.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024
Ubisoft via Saniya Ahmed In Mirage, Basim gives up his life as a street thief and trains as an Assassin to find the faces behind the Abbasid Caliphate’s (which was real) Order of the Ancients (which is fiction), a Templar-like group seeking an ancient memory seal.
—WIRED, 24 Oct. 2023
The Mongol empire could be cruel beyond measure, yet the Mongols primarily subjugated and destroyed other empires: the Abbasid, Khwarazmian, Bulgarian, Song, and so on.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2023
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Mary Thurlkill, The Conversation, 30 Mar. 2026
What struck outsiders about Rome, Abbasid Baghdad, or Song China was the extent of freedom enjoyed by relatively large segments of the population compared to their own, and the correspondingly higher living standards.
—Johan Norberg, Washington Post, 29 Jan. 2026
The Arabic prince and poet Abdallah ibn al-Mu’tazz wrote a consideration of poetry, Kitab al-Badi, in the ninth century, some time before his one day reign as leader of the Abbasid Caliphate.
—Literary Hub, 22 Dec. 2025
This single feast, emblematic of Fes’s cuisine, carries the taste of the courtly table of the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad, the flavors served at the Alhambra in Islamic Andalucia, a blend of West African spices, and Amazigh know-how.
—Megan Spurrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 18 Dec. 2025
It was found among other pottery pieces dating to the Abbasid period, which began around 750 C.E. with the rise of the Abbasid caliphate in the Middle East.
—Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Nov. 2024
Ubisoft via Saniya Ahmed In Mirage, Basim gives up his life as a street thief and trains as an Assassin to find the faces behind the Abbasid Caliphate’s (which was real) Order of the Ancients (which is fiction), a Templar-like group seeking an ancient memory seal.
—WIRED, 24 Oct. 2023
The Mongol empire could be cruel beyond measure, yet the Mongols primarily subjugated and destroyed other empires: the Abbasid, Khwarazmian, Bulgarian, Song, and so on.
—Robert D. Kaplan, Foreign Affairs, 8 Aug. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Abbasid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Abbasid. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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