mahatma
noun
-ˈhat- 
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Mahatma is an adaptation of the Sanskrit word mahātman, which literally meant "great-souled." As a general, uncapitalized English noun, "mahatma" can refer to any great person; in India, it is used as a title of love and respect. When capitalized, however, it usually refers to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the great leader who helped guide India to independence in 1947. Renowned for his policy of nonviolent protest, he was widely known as "Mahatma Gandhi" or "the Mahatma." The title was reportedly conferred on him by poet Rabindranath Tagore in 1915, but spiritual leader and author Paramahansa Yogananda claimed that Gandhi didn’t embrace it himself. According to Yogananda, Gandhi never referred to himself as "Mahatma," but rather "made some humble, and witty, protests about the title."
Example Sentences
Brook Larmer, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2018 Word History
Sanskrit mahātman, from mahātman great-souled, from mahat + ātman soul — more at atman
circa 1895, in the meaning defined at sense 1
mahatmas
noun
Synonyms & Similar Words
- swamis
- yogis
- yogins
- pandits
- gurus
- intellectuals
- intellects
- highbrows
- brains
- rabbis
- thinkers
- genii
- teachers
- wizards
- polymaths
- mentors
- seers
- sages
- masters
- geniuses
- whizzes
- savants
- scholars
- wise men
- polyhistors
- Renaissance men
- pundits
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- idiots
- blockheads
- imbeciles
- dolts
- morons
- numskulls
- fools
- nincompoops
- dopes
- donkeys
- simpletons
- pinheads
- numbskulls
- dunces
- ignoramuses
- goons
- ninnies
- nitwits
- dummies
- stocks
- turkeys
- jackasses
- dodos
- fatheads
- dumbbells
- ignorami
- know-nothings
- half-wits
- dodoes