Hindu

1 of 2

noun

Hin·​du ˈhin-(ˌ)dü 

variants or less commonly Hindoo

1

: an adherent of Hinduism

2

: a native or inhabitant of India

Hindu

2 of 2

adjective

variants or less commonly Hindoo

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Hindus or Hinduism

Examples of Hindu in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Five years later, Uttar Pradesh elected Yogi Adityanath, a monk and a Hindu nationalist from the Bharatiya Janata Party, as its new chief minister, and the prospect of a shrine to English may have dimmed further. —Manvir Singh, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024

Over the last 18 years of being plant-based, my reasoning for not eating any sentient being has been influenced by the Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain philosophy of ahimsa, a belief system that teaches leading a nonviolent life and respecting all living beings. —Lola Méndez, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024

Adjective

In 1947, his family, along with millions of other Hindu refugees, was forced by sectarian violence to leave Lahore when the city became part of Pakistan, and resettle in a new India. —Sage Mehta, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024

In 2003, not long after the Gujarat anti-Muslim pogrom generated global condemnation of Hindu extremism, a group of second-generation Indian-American professionals founded the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). —Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Persian Hindū inhabitant of India, from Hind India

First Known Use

Noun

1625, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1698, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing Hindu

• Hindu-Arabic
• Hindu calendar

Kids Definition

Hindu

noun

Hin·​du

ˈhin-(ˌ)dü

1

: a follower of Hinduism

2

: a person born or living in India

Hindu adjective