Meaning & use
dervish
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Meanings
nouncountable
A member of a Muslim religious group known for energetic, sometimes whirling, movements as part of worship.
Grammar: A countable noun: one dervish, two dervishes.
Patterns
- a whirling dervish
- like a dervish
The whirling dervishes performed their ritual dance in the courtyard.
He spun around the room like a dervish, arms outstretched.
nouncountablefigurative
A person who behaves in a wild, uncontrolled, or extremely energetic way.
Grammar: Often used in similes: 'like a dervish'.
Patterns
- like a dervish
She cleaned the house like a dervish before the guests arrived.
He was dancing like a dervish at the party.
Word forms
| plural | dervishes |
|---|
Common combinations
- whirling dervish
- The whirling dervish twirled in a trance-like state.
- like a dervish
- He worked like a dervish to finish the project on time.
- dervish dance
- The dervish dance is a form of meditation.
- dervish order
- He belonged to a Sufi dervish order.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ascetic
- An ascetic practices severe self-discipline; a dervish is specifically a member of a Sufi order, often known for whirling.
- Sufi
- A Sufi is a follower of Sufism; a dervish is a particular kind of Sufi known for poverty and ecstatic rituals.
Commonly confused: dervish or derv?
dervish vs derv
Derv is a type of diesel fuel; dervish is a religious person.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'dervish' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Option 0 uses 'dervish' figuratively to mean someone wild and energetic, which is a common use. The other options incorrectly treat 'dervish' as a coin, language, or tool.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dervish”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.