Standard Lemma guide

ahimsa

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /əˈhɪmsɑː/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A doctrine of non-violence, concerned with the sacredness of all living things and an effort to avoid causing harm to them.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: Hinduism, Jainism, uncountable

Topics: Buddhism, lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a Buddhist and Hindu and especially Jainist doctrine holding that all forms of life are sacred and urging the avoidance of violence

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: religious doctrine, church doctrine, gospel, creed

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit अहिंसा (ahiṃsā).

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 不殺生 /不杀生 (bùshāshēng) — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Finnish: ahimsa — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Indonesian: ahimsa — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Japanese: 不殺生 (fusesshō) — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Korean: 비살생 (bisalsaeng) — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Lao: ອະຫິງສາ (ʼa hing sā) — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Malay: ahimsa — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Marathi: अहिंसा (ahiusā) — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Portuguese: ahimsa — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Swedish: ahimsa — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Tamil: அகிம்சை (akimcai) — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Telugu: అహింస (ahiṁsa) — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism
  • Thai: อหิงสา — doctrine of non-violence in Jainism, Hinduism and Buddhism