Sufi

noun

Su·​fi ˈsü-(ˌ)fē How to pronounce Sufi (audio)
: a Muslim mystic
Sufi adjective
Sufic
ˈsü-fik How to pronounce Sufi (audio)
adjective
Sufism
ˈsü-ˌfi-zəm How to pronounce Sufi (audio)
noun

Examples of Sufi 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.
That period saw the revival of several Sufi orders that came to be associated with new social classes, including industrial magnates, newly urbanizing artisans, and shop owners. — Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025 Islamic graffiti identified as part of the project includes an inscription, and a drawing of a scorpion, that honor the Sufi cleric Sheikh al-ʿAǧamī, who was appointed to serve as the first religious overseer of Ottoman Jerusalem. — Leslie Katz, Forbes.com, 18 Apr. 2025 Fahad Shah In Srinagar city, Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital, papier-mâché art adorns the walls and ceilings of everything from Sufi shrines and mosques to homes and hotels. — Fahad Shah, Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2025 The aspiration to build a museum dedicated to Sufi art and culture originated in the 1970s with Sufi master Hazrat Shah Maghsoud Angha (1916-1980), 41st master of the Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi (MTO) Shahmaghsoudi School of Islamic Sufism. — Y-Jean Mun-Delsalle, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for Sufi

Word History

Etymology

Arabic ṣūfī, perhaps from ṣūf wool

First Known Use

1653, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Sufi was in 1653

Browse Nearby Words

suffusedly
Sufi
Sufistic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Sufi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sufi. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

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