maharaja

noun

ma·​ha·​ra·​ja ˌmä-hə-ˈrä-jə How to pronounce maharaja (audio)
-ˈrä-zhə
variants or maharajah
: a Hindu prince ranking above a raja

Examples of maharaja 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.
In 1849, a young maharaja, a regional ruler, who was only 10 or 11 years old was coerced into giving it to the British when the province of Punjab was annexed. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 4 May 2023 He is borne aloft, like a maharaja or an infant. Garret Keizer, Harper's Magazine, 17 Aug. 2021 In the nineteen-seventies, the young maharaja began to restore the fort, to open it to the public. Dorothy Wickenden, The New Yorker, 12 Dec. 2022 Named Sriwijaya, it was ruled by a maharaja, centered on the island of Sumatra in what is now Indonesia, and flourished in the period C.E. 650 to 1377. Scientific American, 28 July 2022 See all Example Sentences for maharaja 

Word History

Etymology

Hindi & Urdu mahārāja, from Sanskrit, from mahat great + rājan raja; akin to Latin rex king — more at much, royal

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of maharaja was in 1698

Dictionary Entries Near maharaja

Cite this Entry

“Maharaja.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/maharaja. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

maharaja

noun
ma·​ha·​ra·​ja
variants or maharajah
ˌmä-hə-ˈräj-ə How to pronounce maharaja (audio)
-ˈräzh-ə
: a Hindu prince ranking above a raja
Etymology

from Sanskrit (ancient language of India) mahārāja "maharaja," from mahat "great" and rājan "king, raja"

More from Merriam-Webster on maharaja

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!