Sunni

noun

Sun·​ni ˈsu̇(n)-(ˌ)nē How to pronounce Sunni (audio)
1
: the Muslims of the branch of Islam that adheres to the orthodox tradition and acknowledges the first four caliphs as rightful successors of Muhammad compare shia
2
: a Sunni Muslim
Sunni adjective

Examples of Sunni in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Speaker Ayaz Sadiq said Sharif secured 201 votes, defeating Omar Ayub of the Sunni Ittehad Council who got 92 votes. Munir Ahmed, Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2024 The Sunni Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia, are insisting on that as a condition for their support for the revitalization of the PA and the reconstruction of Gaza, as is the rest of the international community. Martin Indyk, Foreign Affairs, 20 Feb. 2024 Iran has built closer ties with the group in recent years; unlike all of Tehran’s other allies in the region, Hamas is a Sunni Muslim organization, rather than a Shiite one. Nadeen Ebrahim, CNN, 24 Jan. 2024 For instance, Jaish al-Adl, an armed Sunni Islamist group, is active in Sistan and Baluchistan Province. Susanna Hoffman, National Review, 9 Jan. 2024 General Suleimani had directed the crucial role played by Iran and its allies in the military defeat in Syria and Iraq of the Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim extremist group that sees Iran’s Shiite Muslim majority as heretics. Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 5 Jan. 2024 The Tehran regime has many internal enemies, including Sunni Islamist groups that specialize in mass-casualty attacks. The Editorial Board, WSJ, 3 Jan. 2024 As friction with the government grew, a series of guerrilla wars with the national army were fought, as well as a brief border conflict with Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, according to Reuters. Louis Casiano, Fox News, 20 Dec. 2023 On one side are the Houthis, an insurgent Shiite Islamist movement that grew out of a northwestern Yemeni tribe; on the other side is a regime backed by a coalition of Sunni Arab states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Samanth Subramanian, The New York Review of Books, 30 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Sunni.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Arabic sunnī, from sunna

First Known Use

1595, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Sunni was in 1595

Dictionary Entries Near Sunni

Cite this Entry

“Sunni.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sunni. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Sunni

noun
Sun·​ni ˈsu̇n-(n)ē How to pronounce Sunni (audio)
plural Sunnis or Sunni
1
: one of the two main branches of Islam
2
: a Muslim who is a member of the Sunni branch of Islam

More from Merriam-Webster on Sunni

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