noun
Meaning 1
Synonym of Dalit.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: derogatory
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: Dalit
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
Harijan
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.
No pronunciation record was provided for this word.
noun
Meaning 2
Alternative form of Harijan
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of, alternative
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
belongs to lowest social and ritual class in India
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: untouchable
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: outcast, castaway, pariah, Ishmael
History
Etymology
Borrowed from Hindi हरिजन (harijan, literally “Children of God”). Coined by Narsinh Mehta, a Gujarati Bhakti poet, in the 15th century and popularized by Mahatma Gandhi as an alternative to the term Dalit.