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Adonai

American

[ah-daw-nahy, ah-doh-noi] / ˌɑ dɔˈnaɪ, ˌɑ doʊˈnɔɪ /

Also Adonoy

noun

Hebrew. a title of reverence for God, serving also as a substitute pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton.

Adonai British

/ ˌædɒˈnaɪ, -ˈneɪaɪ /

noun

Judaism a name for God

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does Adonai mean? Adonai is one of the Hebrew names used for Judeo-Christian God. In Judaism and the other religions descending from Abraham, the universe was created by a single being commonly known in English as God. In the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, God’s name is written as an unpronounceable series of consonants known as the Tetragrammaton that read as YHWH or JHVH. Because they can’t or won’t say the Tetragrammaton, speakers and writers use different names for God. Adonai is one of these names that appears frequently in the Tanach, the Hebrew Bible. Adonai appears repeatedly as a name for God in the Tanach, which is written in Hebrew. Many English translations of the Christian Bible use the word Lord instead.

Etymology

Origin of Adonai

Literally, my Lord; spoken in place of the ineffable name Yahweh

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Adonai

The team also received two former first round picks—receiver Adonai Mitchell from Indianapolis and defensive tackle Mazi Smith from Dallas.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2025

The Colts' only loss was at the Los Angeles Rams and, if it was not for the drop by Adonai Mitchell as he ran into the end zone, this could be an 8-0 team.

From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2025

Still his performance was better than that of Mexican referee Adonai Escobedo, who struggled to control the match.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025

They even overcame a late Longhorn rally, as Ewers found wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for a leaping 1-yard score to narrow the deficit to 34-28 with 7:23 left.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 1, 2024

“Blessed be you, Oh God... Adonai... Blessed... Blessed be—” Tears are running down his cheeks.

From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023