NAWAB Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

nawab

noun

nə-ˈwäb

Definition of nawab

as in heavyweight

one of high position or importance within a group a meeting with the nawabs on the university's board of trustees

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of nawab The unidentified sitter, meanwhile, is believed to be a wife of a nawab, or an Indian prince. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 24 July 2026 The manuscript was acquired by Asaf-ud-Daula, nawab of Awadh, and was presented to King George III in 1798. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026 The lights dim, and a hush falls over the crowd, as the last nawab of Oudh strides onto the stage at Palo Alto’s Cubberley Theater. — Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025 The Oudh descendants in Kolkata, where the nawab died in exile, had also rejected their claim. — Ellen Barry, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019 In 1757, the East India Company commander Robert Clive defeated Bengal’s local ruler, or nawab, in battle and consolidated the company’s power in the province. — Maya Jasanoff, The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nawab

Noun

Northrop Grumman faces stiff competition in the uncrewed fighter market from several defence industry heavyweights.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 2026
The New York Rangers remain an Eastern Conference heavyweight relying on their dominant foundation.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of heavyweight

Noun

Recruiting Cohen is a big to support Black Bear’s investment in a broad slate of independent films.

— Mya Copeland, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026
Polish superstar Robert Lewandowski joining the Chicago Fire has been a big to Woznik, who is just as likely to groove to the great romantic 19th century Polish composer Frederic Chopin.

— Patrick Z. McGavin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of big

Noun

Netflix execs no doubt long ago figured out how to tune out the nattering nabobs of negativism, understanding that such scrutiny — from both consumers and the press — is the unavoidable by-product of success.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
But all the nattering nabobs of negativism who’d normally have been concentrating on Maura’s catastrophic first term had to devote at least a little attention to recounting one of the Wu Klux Klan’s more embarrassing moments of 2025.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of nabob

Noun

One of Stallone's earliest gigs was cleaning the lion cages at Central Park Zoo.

— Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Yet, in The Radiance, the students receive the lion’s share of the scrutiny while their teachers’ vanity and self-interest pass as disillusionment.

— Zain Khalid, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of lion

Noun

Though the film initially received criticism for its unconventional portrayal of the young French queen (intentionally opting for an anachronistically stylish over stuffily period-appropriate approach), 20 years later, its legacy is undeniable.

— Stephanie Sporn, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
Now, the king and queen apparently want to bury the hatchet with Harry and Meghan—but the same can’t be said for Prince William.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of queen

Noun

That reduction forced painful cuts to Vision 2030, the prince’s signature policy aimed at remaking Saudi Arabia.

— Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Other schemes are more direct—like a new version of the Nigerian prince scam that uses celebrity deepfakes.

— Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of prince

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nawab

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“Nawab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nawab. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of nawab

noun

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