mukhabarat means the secret police or intelligence forces in certain Arabic-speaking countries. It carries an Arena rating of 1304, earned across 28 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, mukhabarat ranks #26 of 14,322 for Scariest Words, #167 of 14,410 for Most Ponderous Words, #305 of 14,448 for Most Incisive Words, #334 of 14,440 for Most Satisfying to Say.
mukhabarat is pronounced /mʊˈkabəɹat/.
Why “mukhabarat” is a great word
The secret police or intelligence service of an authoritarian Arab state, from Arabic مُخَابَرَات (muḵābarāt), plural of مُخَابَر (muḵābar, 'intelligence'), from the root خ ب ر (ḵ-b-r) relating to information or news. Unlike a visible 'police' force or a neutral 'intelligence agency,' the mukhabarat is the state's shadow architecture, built from whispers on that very root: it is the unmarked car idling at dawn, the static hiss bleeding into a family phone call, the chill of being known by a power that remains itself unseen. It is the sound of a door closing quietly in a hallway where no one is supposed to be listening.
Etymology
From Arabic مُخَابَرَات (muḵābarāt), plural of مُخَابَر (muḵābar, “intelligence”).
noun
- The secret police or intelligence forces in certain Arabic-speaking countries.“He was sallow, morose-looking, and wearing dark glasses indoors: a thoroughly bad sign. A secret-police or Mukhabarat type, bored and resentful and hard to shake.”
- A member of such an organization.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- arabophobia 79% match — Fear, hate, or dislike of Arabs and their culture vs mukhabarat →
- totalitarian 79% match — Of or relating to a system of government where the people have virtually no authority and the state wields absolute control of every aspect of the country, socially, financially, and politically. vs mukhabarat →
- chekist 79% match — An agent of the Cheka. vs mukhabarat →
- assassinate 78% match — To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons. vs mukhabarat →
- silovik 78% match — A member of the Russian military, law enforcement, or intelligence services (the KGB or FSB), or a politician with a background in such services. vs mukhabarat →
- takfir 78% match — Excommunication. vs mukhabarat →
- takfirism 78% match — The practice of excommunicating other Muslims. vs mukhabarat →
- zersetzung 78% match — A form of psychological warfare used by the Stasi. vs mukhabarat →