swastika

noun

swas·​ti·​ka ˈswä-sti-kə 

 also  swä-ˈstē-

1

: a symbol or ornament in the form of a Greek cross with the ends of the arms extended at right angles all in the same rotary direction

2

: a swastika used as a symbol of anti-Semitism or of Nazism

Examples of swastika in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Flags of Finnish air forces that still show the swastika symbol are seen during a parade in Jyvaskyla, Finland, in November 2024—the military branch's command dropped the insignia in 2017. —Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025

That spring, Juda Engelmayer, the Weinstein publicist who has represented OneTaste since 2018, wrote a number of opinion pieces for The Frank Report, a website run by Frank Parlato; one included a picture of Judge Gujarati and an image of the Department of Justice seal superimposed with a swastika. —Thessaly La Force, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2025

According to the seller, Stoner said, the swastika is an ancient symbol that could signify many things to different cultures, mostly positive. —David Chiu, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025

The swastika was important to Gray’s claims of racial bias, but even more vital was the discovery two months later, in June 2024, that the two people who voted to acquit Gray were Black. —Richard A. Webster, ProPublica, 25 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Sanskrit svastika, from svasti well-being, from su- well + as- to be; akin to Sanskrit asti he is, Old English is; from its being regarded as a good luck symbol

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

swastika

noun

swas·​ti·​ka ˈswäs-ti-kə 

 also  swä-ˈstē-kə

: a symbol in the form of a cross with the ends of the arms bent at right angles all in the same direction

Etymology

from a word in Sanskrit (the ancient language of India) svastika "a symbol in the form of a cross with bent arms," from svasti "well-being"