Standard Lemma guide

Gandhigiri

noun · 1 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

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ɡɑːndiˈɡɪɹi/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American: /ɡɑndiˈɡɪɹi/
  • rhymes with -ɪɹi

1

noun

Meaning 1

The practice of Gandhism (“the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi, encompassing tenets such as non-violent activism”), often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism such as depositing flowers or planting trees.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: India, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: dadagiri

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Bombay Hindi गांधीगिरी (gāndhīgirī), from Hindi गांधी (gāndhī) (the surname of the Indian lawyer and anti-colonial nationalist Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) who used non-violent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India’s independence from British rule) + -गिरी (-girī, “suffix meaning ‘the act of; doing’”). The Hindi word was coined in the movie Lage Raho Munna Bhai (Keep Going, Munna Bhai, 2006), in which it was used by the lead character who is a gangster in contrast to dadagiri (“gang rule; intimidating behaviour”).

Across languages

Translations

8 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Assamese: গান্ধীগিৰি (gandhigiri) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism
  • Gujarati: ગાંધીગીરી (gā̃dhīgīrī) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism
  • Hindi: गांधीगिरी (gāndhīgirī) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism
  • Maithili: गान्धीगिरी (gāndhīgirī) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism
  • Malayalam: ഗാന്ധിഗിരി (gāndhigiri) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism
  • Marathi: गांधीगिरी (gāndhīgirī) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism
  • Punjabi: ਗਾਂਧੀਗਿਰੀ (gāndhīgirī) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism
  • Tamil: காந்திகிரி (kāntikiri) — practice of Gandhism, often expressed through unorthodox forms of activism