ayatollah

noun

aya·​tol·​lah ˌī-ə-ˈtō-lə  -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

Recent Examples on the Web

Mojtaba Khamenei was injured in the attack on his father's compound, which killed the ayatollah and other immediate members of the family. —Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 12 Mar. 2026

Yet a war that leaves the Iranian people exposed will lead to a bloodbath and the possibility of a leader even worse than the ayatollah himself. —Felice Friedson, New York Daily News, 10 Mar. 2026

Listening to naysayers in Congress twist themselves into pretzels condemning the ayatollah and his brutal repressive regime, but offering no solutions whatsoever, has been disheartening. —Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 8 Mar. 2026

As a seminary student of Khomeini who was more interested in politics than religion, Khamenei ranked below an ayatollah. —Eric Lob, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Persian āyatollāh, literally, sign of God, from Arabic āyatallāh, from āya sign, miracle + allāh God

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ayatollah

• variola
• azolla
• canola
• cupola
• ebola
• fasciola
• granola
• victrola
• viola
• bola
• cola
• colla