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

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The regime will rally the Iranian people—many of whom oppose the ayatollahs—and frame Israel's actions as a reason to accelerate the race to the bomb. —

Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024 Analysts say the aging ayatollah is sufficiently pragmatic to seek to avoid wider conflagration, as long as the proxies will be able to step up. —

Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2024 Kabul was the disaster that set off a string of geopolitical setbacks for America and the West, with Putin and the ayatollah sizing up this White House — and liking their odds. —

The Editors, National Review, 10 Sep. 2024 Ali al-Sistani, the grand ayatollah who is the senior religious figure for the world’s 200 million Shia Muslims, is 94. —

Hannah Schoenbaum and Deepa Bharath, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for ayatollah