Meanings
kafir1
plural kuffar · plural kafirs · plural kafirun · alternative kâfir · alternative kāfir
- countableoffensiveslurIslamA disbeliever, a denier: someone who rejects or disbelieves in Allah or the tenets of Islam; or more broadly any non-Muslim.
In his sermon, Amir Hamza espoused extremist and segregationist views. He inferred that non-Muslims are “kafir” (infidels).
2024 August 21, “Investigation Into Bangladeshi Preacher Amir Hamza’s Sermon in Singapore on 9 August 2024”, in Ministry of Home Affairs (Singapore), archived from the original on 28 Aug 2024Synonyms: non-Muslim · Antonyms: Muslim
- abbreviationellipsisuncountableEllipsis of kafir corn.
Kafir makes better forage than the duras.
1914, Omar Orlando Churchill, Forage and Silage Crops for Oklahoma, page 101 more example
Kafir is confined practically to the Southwestern States where, owing to its drought resistant character, it has become an important crop.
1918, Yearbook of the United States Department of Agriculture, page 568
Kafir2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA disbeliever, a denier: someone who rejects or disbelieves in Allah or the tenets of Islam; or more broadly any non-Muslim.
More synonyms by meaning
nounan offensive and insulting term for any Black African
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Arabicكَافِر“denier, unbeliever”
- Englishkafir
Borrowed from Arabic كَافِر (kāfir, “denier, unbeliever”). Doublet of kaffir.
More words from Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic كَافِر
- كَافِر (kāfir)infidel, non-Muslim
Bengali কাফির
- কাফির (kaphir)infidel, non-Muslim
Bulgarian гяу́р
- гяу́р (gjaúr)infidel, non-Muslim
Chinese Mandarin 卡菲勒, 卡菲爾 /卡菲尔
- 卡菲勒 (kǎfēilè)infidel, non-Muslim
- 卡菲爾 /卡菲尔 (kǎfēi'ěr)infidel, non-Muslim
Czech káfir
- káfirinfidel, non-Muslim
Dutch kafir
- kafirinfidel, non-Muslim
Finnish kafiiri
- kafiiriinfidel, non-Muslim
French kâfir, kafir
- kâfirinfidel, non-Muslim
- kafirinfidel, non-Muslim
German Kafir
- Kafirinfidel, non-Muslim
Hebrew כּאפִר
- כּאפִר (kafír)infidel, non-Muslim
Hindi काफ़िर, काफिर
- काफ़िर (kāfir)infidel, non-Muslim
- काफिर (kāphir)infidel, non-Muslim
- गब्र (gabra)infidel, non-Muslim
Indonesian kafir
- kafirinfidel, non-Muslim
Japanese カーフィル
- カーフィル (kāfiru)infidel, non-Muslim
Korean 카피르
- 카피르 (kapireu)infidel, non-Muslim
Malay kafir
- kafirinfidel, non-Muslim
Polish kafir
- kafirinfidel, non-Muslim
Portuguese cafre
- cafreinfidel, non-Muslim
Russian ка́фир, кафи́р
- ка́фир (káfir)infidel, non-Muslim
- кафи́р (kafír)infidel, non-Muslim
- кя́фир (kjáfir)infidel, non-Muslim
- кяфи́р (kjafír)infidel, non-Muslim
- гяу́р (gjaúr)infidel, non-Muslim
Slovak káfir
- káfirinfidel, non-Muslim
Spanish cafre, infiel
- cafreinfidel, non-Muslim
- infielinfidel, non-Muslim
Swahili kafiri
- kafiriinfidel, non-Muslim
Swedish kafir
- kafirinfidel, non-Muslim
Tamil காஃபிர்
- காஃபிர் (kāfir)infidel, non-Muslim
Thai กาเฟร, กาฟิร
- กาเฟรinfidel, non-Muslim
- กาฟิรinfidel, non-Muslim
Turkish kâfir, gâvur
- kâfirinfidel, non-Muslim
- gâvurinfidel, non-Muslim
Ukrainian кафі́р, кяфі́р
- кафі́р (kafír)infidel, non-Muslim
- кяфі́р (kjafír)infidel, non-Muslim
Urdu کافِر
- کافِر (kāfir)infidel, non-Muslim
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with kafir
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
kafir. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kafir
“kafir.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kafir. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “kafir,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/kafir.
Source: kafir on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.