noun

swastika

SWOS-tih-kuh

noun

An ancient symbol made of a cross with each arm bent at a right angle, historically used across many cultures as a sign of good fortune, but today associated almost entirely with Nazi Germany and fascism.

"The museum explained the swastika's long pre-Nazi history in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain art."

"Painting a swastika on the wall was treated as a hate crime."

How to Use Swastika

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishAn ancient cross-shaped symbol now overwhelmingly linked to Nazism, even though it originally meant good luck in many older cultures.

When to use it

In most Western contexts today the word and symbol carry an unavoidable Nazi association, regardless of its older meaning.

Word Forms

swastikas plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “swastika” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

The museum explained the _____'s long pre-Nazi history in Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain art.

Etymology

Borrowed from Sanskrit svastika, built from su- ("good") and asti ("is"), together meaning roughly "a good-luck charm." The word entered English in 1871. From the 1930s it became strongly tied to the symbol used by the Nazi party (also called the Hakenkreuz, or "hooked cross").

Synonyms

View more →

Black Spider cross gammadion gammadion gammation hooked cross sauvastika sun wheel tetraskelion twisted cross sauwastika

Rhymes for swastika

vika pika Mika Rika Erika Chika Monika Malika Annika Tamika paprika Mallika

See all rhymes for swastika →

People Also Searched

Black Spider cross gammadion gammadion gammation hooked cross sauvastika sun wheel tetraskelion twisted cross sauwastika