Standard Lemma guide

Salafism

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

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A movement comparing itself to Sunni Islam, claiming to taking the pious ancestors, the salaf of the patristic period of early Islam, as exemplary models.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

Topics: Islam, lifestyle, religion

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

a militant group of extremist Sunnis who believe themselves the only correct interpreters of the Koran and consider moderate Muslims to be infidels; seek to convert all Muslims and to insure that its own fundamentalist version of Islam will dominate the world

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: Salafi movement

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: Islam, Islamism, Mohammedanism, Muhammadanism, Muslimism

History

Etymology

From Salafi + -ism or salaf + -ism.

Across languages

Translations

21 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: سَلَفِيَّة (salafiyya) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Chinese Mandarin: 沙拉菲主義 /沙拉菲主义 (shālāfēizhǔyì) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Czech: salafismus — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Dutch: salafisme — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Esperanto: salafismo — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • French: salafisme — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • German: Salafismus — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Hebrew: סלפייה (salafíya) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Hebrew: סלפיזם (salafízm) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Hindi: सलफ़ी (salfī) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Hindi: वहाबी (vahābī) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Indonesian: Salafisme — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Italian: salafismo — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Japanese: サラフィズム (sarafizumu) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Malay: Salafisme — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Polish: salafizm — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Portuguese: salafismo — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Russian: салафи́зм (salafízm) — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Spanish: salafismo — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Swedish: salafism — a Sunni Islamic movement
  • Turkish: Selefilik — a Sunni Islamic movement