dervish

noun

der·​vish ˈdər-vish 

1

: a member of a Muslim religious order noted for devotional exercises (such as bodily movements leading to a trance)

2

: one that whirls or dances with or as if with the abandonment of a dervish

Examples of dervish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Admittedly, on its best day, Penn Station feels like a whirling dervish. —Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 28 May 2026

But in the early days of the Maniacs, everyone swears that Merchant was a shrieking dervish during shows, exorcising her teenage demons on the stage of every bar in the Rust Belt. —Dan Kois, Pitchfork, 17 May 2026

In the doc, Hood is a dervish, conducting press conferences, collecting signatures in support of Littlejohn to present to Gov. Stitt, and joking with Littlejohn’s family to keep their spirits up. —Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026

In Rosenblatt’s script and Lithgow’s dazzling performance, Dahl is a kind of dervish of disdain, who projects his repressed fury onto others. —John Lahr, New Yorker, 9 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Turkish derviş, literally, beggar, from Persian darvīsh

First Known Use

circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

dervish

noun

der·​vish ˈdər-vish 

: a member of a Muslim religious group noted for its customs (as bodily movements leading to a trance)