Meanings
plural qawwalis
- uncountableentertainmentA style of Muslim devotional music, especially among the South Asian Sufis, accompanied by drums and harmonium.
Jameela Siddiqi listens to qawwali and talks to its performers […].
1994, Simon Broughton, World Music: The Rough Guide - countableentertainmentA song in this style.
They are singing not a religious qawwali but its secular and lay cousin.
1997, Kiran Nagarkar, Cuckold, HarperCollins, published 2013, page 2231 more example
Every Thursday, in the dargah's enclosure, musicians in shimmering turquoise kurtas, their fingers bejewelled with bling, perform qawwalis attributed to Khusrau […].
2016, Sunil Khilnani, Incarnations, Penguin, published 2017, page 86
Origin
- Classical Persianقوالی
- Urduقوالی
- Englishqawwali
From Urdu قوالی (qawwālī), from Classical Persian قوالی (qawwālī).
More words from Urdu, Classical Persian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
qawwali. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/qawwali
“qawwali.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/qawwali. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “qawwali,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/qawwali.
Source: qawwali on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.