ulema or ulama (noun)§
Arabic
The body of mullahs. (MW)
A body of Muslim scholars who are recognized as having specialist knowledge of Islamic sacred law and theology. (NOA)
Muslim scholars trained in Islam and Islamic law. (AHD)
In a Muslim country or society, the body of professional theologians who are regarded as the authority on religious law. (CHM)
A body of Muslim scholars or religious leaders. The doctors of Muslim religion and law. (CDC)
The body of Mullahs, Muslim scholars trained in Islam and Islamic law, who are the interpreters of Islam's doctrines and laws, and the chief guarantors of continuity in the spiritual and intellectual history of the Islamic community. (VC)
Those who have had special training in the knowledge of Muslim religion and law, and are regarded by Muslims as the authorities on these matters. (OED)
Grok: The body of Muslim scholars who are recognized as authorities in Islamic doctrine, law, sharia, theology, and related religious sciences. They serve as guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of Islamic knowledge, often trained in madrasas, Islamic seminaries, and play a role analogous to clergy in other faiths, including issuing legal opinions, fatwas, as muftis. In some contexts, it specifically denotes the collective group of mullahs or religious leaders. (Grok)
Note: Muslim clerics considered as a whole: The ulema.
See: cleric
ultracrepidarian or ultra-crepidarian (adjective and noun)§
adjective
Expressing opinions on matters outside the scope of one's knowledge or expertise. (NOA)
Expressing an opinion about something that you have no special knowledge of. (CD)
Going beyond one's proper province; giving opinions on matters beyond one's knowledge. (OED)
For instance: ultracrepidarian advice
noun
A person who expresses opinions on matters outside the scope of their knowledge or expertise. (NOA)
Someone who has no special knowledge of a subject but who expresses an opinion about it. (CD)
One who ventures beyond his or her scope; an ignorant or presumptuous critic. (OED)
A person who expresses opinions, gives advice, or offers criticism on subjects outside their area of knowledge or expertise, essentially, someone who oversteps their bounds like a shoemaker opining on art. (Grok)
For instance: Actors on politics or academics outside of their field of expertise.
crepidarian (adjective): Of or pertaining to a shoemaker. (OED)
Arabic
In Islam, the whole community of Muslims bound together by ties of religion. (NOA)
unctuous (adjective)§
Of a person, excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily. (NOA)
Having, revealing, or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality. (MW)
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X-Y Z
The worldwide community of Muslims. (AHD)
The Muslim community throughout the world; the Islamic community. (CDC)
The worldwide community of Muslims, bound together by ties of religion, as founded by Muhammad. (OED)
The global community of Muslims united by their shared faith in Islam, transcending national, ethnic, or geographic boundaries. It emphasizes a sense of collective identity, solidarity, and brotherhood among believers, often described as a nation or commonwealth of the faithful. (Grok)
The global community of Muslim believers. (Gemini)
The global community of Muslims who share a common religious faith in Islam. In Islamic thought, the ummah encompasses all Muslims worldwide, transcending ethnic, national, and linguistic boundaries. The concept carries both spiritual and social dimensions, emphasizing unity, mutual support, and moral responsibility among believers. So, in essence, ummah means the collective Muslim community bound together by faith. (ChatGPT)
unctuous (adjective)§
Of a person, excessively flattering or ingratiating; oily. (NOA)
Having, revealing, or marked by a smug, ingratiating, and false earnestness or spirituality. (MW)
Excessively ingratiating or insincerely earnest: was annoyed by the unctuous waiter. Having the quality or characteristics of oil or ointment; slippery. (AHD)
Unctuous people or behavior expresses too much praise, interest, friendliness, etc., in a way that is false and unpleasant. (CD)
Unctuous people or behavior expresses too much praise, interest, friendliness, etc., in a way that is false and unpleasant. (CD)
If you describe someone as unctuous, you are critical of them because they seem to be full of praise, kindness, or interest, but are obviously insincere. Affecting an oily charm. Characterized by a false show of deep or sincere feeling, as in trying to persuade; too smooth or overly polite in speech, manners, etc. Characterized by excessive piousness or moralistic fervor, especially in an affected manner; excessively smooth, suave, or smug. (CDC)
Unpleasantly and excessively suave or ingratiating in manner or speech. (VC)
Characterized by spiritual unction, in later use especially of an assumed or superficial nature; complacently agreeable or self-satisfied. (OED)
upspeak or uptalk (noun)§
upspeak or uptalk (noun)§
Also known as high rising terminal (HRT), is a linguistic occurrence in which a speaker uses a rising inflection at the end of a declarative sentence. This rising intonation at the end of the sentence makes a statement sound like a question. (Masterclass)
A manner of speaking in which declarative sentences are uttered with rising intonation at the end, as if they were questions.
(NOA)
Speech in which each clause, sentence, etc., ends like a question with a rising inflection. (MW)
A way of speaking in which your voice rises at the end of a phrase. (CD)
A style of speech in which every sentence ends with a rising tone, as if the speaker is always asking a question. (CDC)
A manner of speaking in which declarative sentences are uttered with rising intonation at the end, a type of intonation more typically associated with questions. (OED)
High rising terminal (HRT), also known as uptalk or upspeak, is a prosodic feature (prosody is the patterns of stress and intonation in a language) observed in certain varieties of English, characterized by a rising pitch on the final accented syllable of declarative utterances, which imparts an interrogative-like intonation to statements. (Grokipedia)
Note: The problem with the label high rising terminal is that it suggests that this mannerism, this prosodic feature, is a rather benign linguistic idiosyncrasy rather than the adopted affectation that it so clearly is.
See: affectation, vocal fry
urbane (adjective)§
Courteous and refined in manner; typically used of a man. (NOA)
Notably polite or polished in manner. (MW)
urbane (adjective)§
Courteous and refined in manner; typically used of a man. (NOA)
Notably polite or polished in manner. (MW)
Polite, refined, and often elegant in manner. (AHD)
Especially of a man, confident, comfortable, and polite in social situations. Having an understanding of the world and showing experience and confidence. (CD)
Behaving in a relaxed and confident way in social situations. (LDOCE)
Showing a high degree of refinement and the assurance that comes from wide social experience. (VC)
Someone who is urbane is polite and appears comfortable in social situations. Characterized by elegance or sophistication. Polite and courteous in a smooth, polished way; refined. Having the polish and suavity regarded as characteristic of sophisticated social life in major cities. Reflecting elegance, sophistication, etc., especially in expression. (CDC)
Courteous in manners; polite; refined; elegant. (WUD)
Of a person, elegant and refined in manners; courteous, civil; suave, sophisticated. Of a quality, action, etc., characteristic of or befitting such a person; refined, sophisticated. (OED)