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

France is home to western Europe's largest Jewish population, at around half a million people.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

The force said 30 people had now been arrested as part of various investigations into a series of attacks on Jewish sites in London since March.

From BBC • May 7, 2026

Joshua Burt, a regional director for the Anti-Defamation League, called the suggested sentence “woefully inadequate” and said he feared it would embolden violence against the Jewish community.

From Los Angeles Times • May 7, 2026

So too are the complex commercial, religious and family ties that bound the Sephardic Jewish community of St. Eustatius to the rest of the Atlantic world.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

There were groups who forged cards for Jewish people so they wouldn’t be detected and didn’t have to have a large ‘J’ on them.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler