आतंकवादी
ātaṅkvādī/ɑː.t̪əŋ.kʋɑː.d̪iː/
The English word 'terrorist' is translated into Hindi as आतंकवादी (ātaṅkvādī). If unsure, use आतंकवादी. Wiktionary also lists दहशतनाक (dahśatnāk).
Meaning: person who uses terror as a weapon in a political struggle (noun)
Ways to say it
| Hindi | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| आतंकवादी | ātaṅkvādī | /ɑː.t̪əŋ.kʋɑː.d̪iː/ (Hindi, Standard) | |
| दहशतनाक | dahśatnāk | masculine |
The term refers to a person who uses terror as a weapon in a political struggle.
What does it mean word for word?
The word आतंकवादी is composed of आतंक (ātaṅk), meaning terror and the suffix -वादी (-vādī), meaning follower or proponent.
Which one should you use?
While आतंकवादी refers to the person (the terrorist), the adjective दहशतनाक is used to describe something that causes terror or is terrifying.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun आतंकवादी is used for both masculine and feminine subjects.
How do you pronounce it?
The word is pronounced /ɑː.t̪əŋ.kʋɑː.d̪iː/ (ātaṅkvādī). It has 4 syllables.
Did you know?
- The suffix -वादी in आतंकवादी is used for many ideological labels, such as गांधीवादी for a follower of Gandhi or समाजवादी for a socialist.
- While आतंकवादी is the standard term, the word दहशतनाक shares a root with the Urdu word 'dahshat', reflecting the deep linguistic blending of Hindi and Urdu in South Asia.
- Because Hindi uses many Sanskrit-derived words for heavy concepts, a word like आतंकवादी sounds much more formal and serious than the more colloquial or Persian-derived terms for 'scary' used in everyday street Hindi.
Examples in context
- राष्ट्रपति जी, मेरा नाम खान है, और मैं आतंकवादी नहीं हूँ।Mr. President, my name is Khan and I am not a terrorist.This sentence is useful for seeing how to deny being a आतंकवादी.Tatoeba #3869015 by sabretou, translation #2318041 by Gulo_Luscus
- आतंकी समस्या का समाधान क्या हो सकता है?What could be the solution to the problem of terrorism?
- पुलिस ने एक आतंकवादी को पकड़ लिया।Police ne ek aatankwadi ko pakad liya.The police caught a terrorist.
- आतंकवादी देश की शांति भंग करते हैं।Aatankwadi desh ki shanti bhang karte hain.Terrorists disrupt the peace of the country.
Example conversation
Vikas and Pooja are discussing a news report on television.
- विकास Vikasक्या तुमने न्यूज़ में आतंकवादी के बारे में सुना?Kya tumne news mein aatankwadi ke bare mein suna?Did you hear about the terrorist on the news?
- पूजा Poojaहाँ, वह बहुत डरावनी खबर थी।Haan, vah bahut daravani khabar thi.Yes, it was a very scary news report.
- विकास Vikasहमें सतर्क रहना चाहिए।Hamein satark rahna chahiye.We should remain alert.
- पूजा Poojaतुम सही कह रहे हो, विकास।Tum sahi keh rahe ho, Vikas.You are right, Vikas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “terrorist” translations and entries आतंकवादी, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
