As a deity name
Name 285 of the Rama Sahasranāma — Padma Purana / Skanda Purana, as taught by Lord Shiva to Goddess Parvati
Name 218 of the Vishnu Sahasranāma — Mahabharata (Anushasana Parva), as taught by Bhishma to Yudhishthira on his deathbed
As a Hindi name
अग्रणी · masculine
leader, pioneer, forerunner, champion
अग्रणी
leading, foremost, pioneering; chief, principal
Śabdasāgara also records: अगुआ । श्रेष्ठ । प्रधान । मुखिया
a Hindi word, a tatsama: the Sanskrit word borrowed unchanged into Hindi अग्रणी — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
“Borrowed from Sanskrit अग्रणी (agraṇī).” — per Wiktionary’s etymology record
agra—ṇī mfn. taking the lead, foremost
N. of an Agni, MBh.
As a Sanskrit word
Meaning
taking the lead, foremost
Scripturally attested Verified derivationMultiple readings (2)Why this matches what you typed
The spelling you confirmed, अग्रणी, is itself a dictionary headword — no grammatical transformation stands between what you typed and the meaning above.
Gender counterpart
The kosha attests this stem in the feminine, the masculine, and the neuter — the same name serves without alteration.
Dictionary citations
agra—ṇī mfn. taking the lead, foremost
N. of an Agni, MBh.
agraṇī mfn. (-ṇīḥ-ṇīḥ-ṇi) First, principal. E. agra and nī, from nīñṇīñ to lead, aff. kvip.
Alternative readings
More than one analysis survives full verification. That ambiguity is real, so we show every reading rather than pick one silently.
Caveats
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