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

Opponents of capital punishment have rejected it on religious, ethical and legal grounds arguing it goes against Jewish law, violates the right to life and brings a risk of executing innocent people.

From BBC

Chava is a newly born golem—a mythological, biddable creature originating in Jewish folklore—without a master.

From The Wall Street Journal

Family dynamics are complex things, especially when you blend an American mother with a Polish Jewish British father who died before my third birthday.

From Literature

My wife and I ultimately chose a Modern Orthodox Jewish school with rigorous academics, serious Jewish education, and a community of families who shared our values.

From The Wall Street Journal

The author also describes the formative decades when Mr. Sanders—born in Brooklyn, N.Y., to unhappy blue-collar Jewish parents—scrapped his way through high school and college before moving to rural Vermont in 1968.

From The Wall Street Journal