raga

R1A1G2A1

noun

Any of various melodic forms used in Indian classical music, or a piece of music composed in such a form.

Less commonScrabble 5

Meanings

raga1

nounraga (countable and uncountable, plural ragas)

plural ragas · alternative ragam

  1. countableentertainmentAny of various melodic forms used in Indian classical music, or a piece of music composed in such a form.

    ‘The song is composed in a raga appropriate to the present hour, which is the evening.’

    1924, EM Forster, A Passage to India, Penguin, published 2005, page 72
  2. uncountablePassion, love, lust.

    Raga and dvesha, attachment and hatred, are two sides of the same coin.

    2012, Swami Rama, Sadhana: The Path to Enlightenment, →ISBN, page 80
    3 more examples

    The conditions of asmita, raga, dvesha, and abhinivesha have a physical basis: they function to inhibit the normal pulsatory rhythms of the physical body.

    2009, Jennifer Schwamm Willis, The Joy of Yoga, →ISBN

    We get tired of the slipping and sliding between raga and dvesha and we seek something more permanent - so instead of looking outward we begin to look inward. This is Yoga - the heart of Yoga.

    2009, Swami Ambikananda Saraswati, Healing Yoga, →ISBN, page 18

    In order to increase security, desire (raga, trishna, lobha) appears in all its forms, and one accumulates more and more of that which establishes one's position in samsara.

    2010, Chogyam Trungpa, The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, →ISBN

Raga2

proper noun
  1. A language spoken in Vanuatu.

Raga3

proper noun
  1. A town in Paro district, Bhutan.

Raga4

proper noun

Raga5

proper noun
  1. alternativeAlternative form of Ray (“a region and satrapy in ancient Iran located between the Alborz and Zagros mountain ranges and the Dasht-e Kavir desert”)

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see

Origin

  1. Sanskritराग
  2. Sanskritराग
  3. Englishraga

Borrowed from Sanskrit राग (rāga, “dye, colour”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bengali রাগ
  • রাগ (rag)melodic mode used in Indian classical music
Czech rága
  • rágamelodic mode used in Indian classical music
Hindi राग
  • राग (rāg)melodic mode used in Indian classical music
Swedish raga
  • ragamelodic mode used in Indian classical music
Tamil ராகம்
  • ராகம் (rākam)melodic mode used in Indian classical music
Urdu راگ
  • راگ (rāg)melodic mode used in Indian classical music

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with raga

All rhymes →

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

raga. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raga

MLA

“raga.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raga. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “raga,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/raga.

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