NAWAB Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

nawab

noun

nə-ˈwäb

Definition of nawab

as in heavyweight

one of high position or importance within a group a meeting with the nawabs on the university's board of trustees

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of nawab The unidentified sitter, meanwhile, is believed to be a wife of a nawab, or an Indian prince. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 24 July 2026 The manuscript was acquired by Asaf-ud-Daula, nawab of Awadh, and was presented to King George III in 1798. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 9 Apr. 2026 The lights dim, and a hush falls over the crowd, as the last nawab of Oudh strides onto the stage at Palo Alto’s Cubberley Theater. — Isha Trivedi, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2025 The Oudh descendants in Kolkata, where the nawab died in exile, had also rejected their claim. — Ellen Barry, New York Times, 22 Nov. 2019 In 1757, the East India Company commander Robert Clive defeated Bengal’s local ruler, or nawab, in battle and consolidated the company’s power in the province. — Maya Jasanoff, The New York Review of Books, 23 May 2019

Recent Examples of Synonyms for nawab

Noun

Coming into the fight, the headlines were all about Itauma, the 21-year-old Brit with a chance to make history by becoming the youngest heavyweight to win a world title since Mike Tyson did so at age 20 in 1986.

— Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
How would Leading Change be able to knock heads against the heavyweights of the division at a mile and a quarter distance?

— Danny Brewer, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of heavyweight

Noun

The album also features cameos by heavies from Gojira, Lamb of God, Queens of the Stone Age, and Clutch.

— Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026
The one-room restaurant retains the clean, minimalist aesthetic that Anthony has cultivated at the upscale sushi counter but has more stone incorporated into the space than a traditional, wood-heavy omakase would.

— Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of heavy

Noun

Across the country, churches and city halls opened specially on Saturday so people could light candles, write down their thoughts about the deceased king in condolence books.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
Haakon was to address the people of Norway in his first speech as king on Saturday night in which he is expected to eulogize his father.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of king

Noun

Netflix execs no doubt long ago figured out how to tune out the nattering nabobs of negativism, understanding that such scrutiny — from both consumers and the press — is the unavoidable by-product of success.

— Josef Adalian, Vulture, 21 Aug. 2026
But all the nattering nabobs of negativism who’d normally have been concentrating on Maura’s catastrophic first term had to devote at least a little attention to recounting one of the Wu Klux Klan’s more embarrassing moments of 2025.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of nabob

Noun

The 135 animals found at a ranch also included lions, buffalo, sulcata tortoises, spider monkeys, jaguars, an American bison and a green macaw.

— CBS News, CBS News, 28 Aug. 2026
The Indianapolis Zoo confirmed all its lions were accounted for to the Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY Network.

— Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of lion

Noun

Country queen and national treasure Dolly Parton may have physically left the world on Tuesday, but her indelible mark on the world and the industry will never be forgotten.

— Isabelle Farina, Variety, 27 Aug. 2026
The country queen wore the whole story of American music on her shoulders like a coat of many colors.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of queen

Noun

The prince, Ashitaka, encounters a forest-dwelling young woman called San on his journey and the two become friends, teaming up to help save the forest and end his curse.

— Kara Nesvig, Parents, 29 Aug. 2026
At the time, there was a fear that the Germans might attempt to depose Haakon VII and turn the young prince into a puppet king.

— Stefania Conrieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of prince

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“Nawab.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nawab. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of nawab

noun

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