Varanasi

V4A1R1A1N1A1S1I1
/vəˈɹænəsi/

proper noun

A large city, district, and division of Uttar Pradesh, India.

Similar
BanarasBenaresKashi
OriginSanskrit वाराणसी →
Less commonScrabble 11
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Meanings

proper noun
  1. A large city, district, and division of Uttar Pradesh, India.

    Introduced in India in 2017, the program is now part of major hospitals in key Indian cities: Bengaluru, Varanasi, Gurugram and Delhi.

    2024 September 8, Kamala Thiagarajan, “Women who are blind play a critical role in identifying possible breast cancers”, in NPR
    1 more example

    On either side of the roof, Varanasi stretched out in an arc, its sandstone walls catching the light until they shone a rich sepia gold.

    2023, Devika Rege, Quarterlife, Dialogue Books (2025), page 389

    Synonyms: Banaras, Benares, Kashi

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounA large city, district, and division of Uttar Pradesh, India.

Similar
BanarasBenaresKashi
Also see
kashi

Origin

  1. Sanskritवाराणसी
  2. EnglishVaranasi

Borrowed from Sanskrit वाराणसी (vārāṇasī).

More words from Sanskrit

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bengali বারাণসী, বেনারস
  • বারাণসী (baranośi)city in India
  • বেনারস (benaroś)city in India
  • কাশী (kaśi)city in India
Chinese Mandarin 瓦拉納西 /瓦拉纳西
  • 瓦拉納西 /瓦拉纳西 (Wǎlānàxī)city in India
Czech Váránasí
  • Váránasícity in India
French Bénarès
  • Bénarèscity in India
Hindi वाराणसी, बनारस
  • वाराणसी (vārāṇsī)city in India
  • बनारस (banāras)city in India
  • काशी (kāśī)city in India
Japanese ワーラーナシー
  • ワーラーナシー (Wārānashī)city in India
Korean 바라나시
  • 바라나시 (Baranasi)city in India
Persian بنارس, وارانسی
  • بنارس (banâras)city in India
  • وارانسی (vârânasi)city in India
Polish Waranasi
  • Waranasicity in India
Portuguese Varanasi
  • Varanasicity in India
Russian Варана́си, Банарас
  • Варана́си (Varanási)city in India
  • Банарасcity in India
  • Бенарес (Benares)city in India
Spanish Benarés, Varanasi
  • Benaréscity in India
  • Varanasicity in India
Tamil காசி, வாரணவாசி
  • காசி (kāci)city in India
  • வாரணவாசி (vāraṇavāci)city in India
  • வாரணசி (vāraṇaci)city in India
  • வாரணாசி (vāraṇāci)city in India
Thai พาราณสี, วาราณสี
  • พาราณสี (paaraannásĕe)city in India
  • วาราณสี (waaraanásĕe)city in India
Urdu بنارس, کاشی
  • بنارس (banāras)city in India
  • کاشی (kāśī)city in India
  • وارانسی (vārāṇasī)city in India

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Vasarian
Cite this entry
APA

Varanasi. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Varanasi

MLA

“Varanasi.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Varanasi. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Varanasi,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Varanasi.

Source: Varanasi on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.