അഭിമാനം
abhimānaṁ/äbʱimäːnɐm/
The English word 'proud' can be expressed in Malayalam as അഭിമാനം (abhimānaṁ).
അഭിമാനം refers to feeling gratified, honoured or satisfied.
Meaning: gratified, feeling honoured, feeling satisfied (adj)
Which one should you use?
While അഭിമാനം (abhimānaṁ) refers to positive pride or honor, the word അഹങ്കാരം (ahaṅkāraṁ) is used to describe negative pride or arrogance.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun അഭിമാനം (abhimānaṁ) is often converted into the verb അഭിമാനിക്കുന്നു (abhimānikkunnu) to express the action of feeling proud. Additionally, to say someone 'is proud' in a descriptive sense, speakers often use the construction അഭിമാനമുണ്ട് (abhimānamuṇṭu), which literally means 'has pride'.
How do you pronounce it?
abhimānaṁ
Did you know?
- In some traditional contexts, expressing excessive അഭിമാനം in oneself is seen as a lack of humility. People often attribute the pride to a third party, such as 'my parents are proud', to remain modest.
- Because അഹങ്കാരം describes arrogance, using it to describe a 'proud' person is a severe social critique. Mistaking the two can turn a compliment into a sharp insult.
- The word അഭിമാനം (abhimānaṁ) is a Sanskrit loanword. This means its roots are shared with many other Indian languages like Hindi or Bengali, even if the pronunciation differs slightly.
Example conversation
Lakshmi congratulates Manoj on his new job promotion.
- മനോജ് Manojലക്ഷ്മി, എനിക്ക് പ്രമോഷൻ കിട്ടി!Lakshmi, enikku promotion kitti!Lakshmi, I got a promotion!
- ലക്ഷ്മി Lakshmiഎനിക്ക് നിന്നിൽ വലിയ അഭിമാനം ഉണ്ട്, മനോജ്.Enikku ninnil valiya abhimaanam undu, Manoj.I am very proud of you, Manoj.
- മനോജ് Manojനന്ദി, നിന്റെ പിന്തുണയാണ് എനിക്ക് കിട്ടിയത്.Nandi, ninte pinhunayaanu enikku kittiayathu.Thanks, it is because of your support.
- ലക്ഷ്മി Lakshmiനീ ഇത് അർഹിക്കുന്നു.Nee ithu arhikunnu.You deserve this.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry അഭിമാനം, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries അഭിമാനം, CC BY-SA 4.0.
