Jewish

American  

[joo-ish] / ˈdʒu ɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of the Jews or Judaism.

   Jewish customs.

2. Informal. Yiddish.

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noun

1. Informal. Yiddish.

Jewish British  

/ ˈdʒuːɪʃ /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Jews

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noun

1. a less common word for Yiddish

Other Word Forms

• Jewishly adverb
• Jewishness noun
• anti-Jewish adjective
• half-Jewish adjective
• non-Jewish adjective
• pre-Jewish adjective
• pro-Jewish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Jewish

1540–50; Jew + -ish ¹; compare Old English iudēisc < Late Latin iudē ( us ) Jew + Old English -isc -ish ¹

Compare meaning

How does jewish compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• goyish vs. Jewish

Example Sentences

The new effort, which builds on £73.4m already committed for protective security at Jewish, Muslim and other faith sites for 2026-27, will initially focus on policing in communities, particularly faith communities, across London and Manchester.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

In December 2023, West apologised to "the Jewish community" for a series of antisemitic remarks he had made the previous year.

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

"This government stands firmly with the Jewish community, and we will not stop in our fight to confront and defeat the poison of antisemitism," Starmer added on X.

From Barron's • Apr. 7, 2026

Antisemitism includes Holocaust denial, conspiracy theories about Jewish power and acts of exclusion or violence targeting Jewish people.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

‘I’ll make it easy for them, shall I? Come on, let’s shout it loud and clear so everyone knows we’re Jewish.’

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler