jihadist

noun

ji·​had·​ist ji-ˈhä-dist How to pronounce jihadist (audio)
 chiefly British  -ˈha-
: a Muslim who advocates or participates in a jihad
jihadist adjective

Examples of jihadist in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Radical, often foreign jihadists still make up a significant portion of the armed forces, ISIS is resurgent, former Assad loyalists remain dissatisfied, the economy is nonexistent from 13 years of warfare, and countless sectarian divisions threaten to rupture at any moment. Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 15 June 2025 Expanding Haifa Port, Endangering Israeli and American Security | Opinion And those monsters are not limited to jihadists. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 May 2025 In one especially brutal atrocity last March, hard-line jihadists supposedly outside the Syrian government’s control rampaged through Alawite villages along Syria’s Mediterranean coast, killing hundreds of civilians, in retaliation for Assad loyalists attacking Syrian army positions. Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2025 Still, many countries are reluctant or unwilling to take in the children of ISIS fighters out of fear they may have been radicalized by extremists and could become future jihadists. Sacha Pfeiffer, NPR, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for jihadist

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jihadist was in 1967

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Cite this Entry

“Jihadist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jihadist. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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