raj

R1A1J8
/ɹɑːd͡ʒ//ɹɑːʒ/US/ɹɑd͡ʒ/

noun

Reign; rule.

“during the Raj”

Less commonScrabble 10

Meanings

raj1

nounraj (uncountable)
  1. South AsiauncountableReign; rule.

Raj2

proper nounRaj (countable and uncountable, plural Rajs or Rajes)

plural Rajs · plural Rajes

  1. abbreviationcountableellipsishistoricaluncountableEllipsis of British Raj, the period of colonial rule of the Indian subcontinent by the British Empire between 1858 and 1947.

    during the Raj

    Synonyms: British India

  2. countablehistoricalproscribeduncountableThe whole period of British influence or rule in the Indian subcontinent from the 1600s to 1947.
  3. countablehistoricaluncountableA surname.
  4. countablehistoricaluncountableA male given name.
nounRaj (plural Rajes)

plural Rajes

  1. broadlyhistoricalA system of government where authority is exercised by a specific group.

    Licence Raj; Mafia Raj; Goonda Raj

    2 more examples

    After Gandhiji's Ram Raj, which lived and went with him to the wilderness, it was Goonda Raj everywhere[...]There was nothing that the goonda did not manpiulate. He turned community development blocks into chips of self-aggrandisement. Panchyat Raj was the Pentagon of Goonda Raj.

    1965, New Race, volume 1

    Concern that the license - permit quota raj was stifling growth focused on the drop in the rate of growth in industry after 1965...

    1999, Ronald J. Herring, edited by Meredith Jung-En Woo, The Developmental State, →ISBN, page 310

Raj3

proper noun
  1. IndiaabbreviationhistoricaljournalismAbbreviation of Rajasthan.

Raj4

proper nounRaj (plural Rajs)

plural Rajs

  1. historicalA diminutive of the male given name Rajiv.

Synonyms & antonyms

proper nounEllipsis of British Raj, the period of colonial rule of the Indian subcontinent by the British Empire between 1858 and 1947.

Also see

Origin

raj · noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₃reǵ-
  2. Hindiराज
  3. Englishraj

Borrowed from Hindi राज (rāj), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ-. Doublet of rex, rich, and others.

Full word history & related roots →

Raj · proper noun, noun

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₃reǵ-“to right or straighten oneself; to govern, rule; just; right”
  2. Sanskritराज्य“empire, kingdom, realm; kingship, royalty, sovereignty; country”
  3. Hindustani
  4. EnglishRaj

Proprialisation of raj (“(India) reign, rule”, noun), borrowed from Hindustani राज / راج (rāj, “reign, rule; empire, kingdom; country, state; royalty”), from Sanskrit राज्य (rājyá, “empire, kingdom, realm; kingship, royalty, sovereignty; country”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to right or straighten oneself; to govern, rule; just; right”). Doublet of Reich.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Hindi राज, राज
  • राज (rāj)period of colonial rule of the Indian subcontinent by the British Empire — see also British Raj
  • राज (rāj)system of government where authority is exercised by a specific group
Polish Indie Brytyjskie, radż
  • Indie Brytyjskieperiod of colonial rule of the Indian subcontinent by the British Empire — see also British Raj
  • radżsystem of government where authority is exercised by a specific group

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with raj

All rhymes →

Sounds the same

RogRajrajRog (US pronunciation)rajRog (US pronunciation)rajRog (US pronunciation)rajRog (US pronunciation)

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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