gentile

[jen-tahyl]

adjective

(sometimes initial capital letter)

1. of or relating to any people not Jewish.

2. Christian, as distinguished from Jewish.

3. Mormon Church.,  not Mormon.

4. heathen or pagan.

5. (of a linguistic expression) expressing nationality or local origins.

6. of or relating to a tribe, clan, people, nation, etc.

noun

1. a person who is not Jewish, especially a Christian.

2. (among Mormons) a person who is not a Mormon.

3. a heathen or pagan.

Gentile

¹

/ ˈdʒɛntaɪl /

noun

1. a person who is not a Jew

2. a Christian, as contrasted with a Jew

3. a person who is not a member of one's own church: used esp by Mormons

4. a heathen or pagan

adjective

1. of or relating to a race or religion that is not Jewish

2. Christian, as contrasted with Jewish

3. not being a member of one's own church: used esp by Mormons

4. pagan or heathen

Gentile

²

/ dʒenˈtiːle /

noun

1. Giovanni (dʒoˈvanni). 1875–1944, Italian Idealist philosopher and Fascist politician: minister of education (1922–24)

gentile

³

/ ˈdʒɛntaɪl /

adjective

1. denoting an adjective or proper noun used to designate a place or the inhabitants of a place, as Spanish and Spaniard

2. of or relating to a tribe or people

Gentile

1. Someone who is not a Jew (see also Jews). “The nations” is the common expression in the Old Testament for non-Jews as a group, and a Gentile is a person belonging to “the nations.”

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament tell of numerous conflicts between Jews and Gentiles. Figuratively, a “gentile” is any nonbeliever.

Other Word Forms

• nongentile adjective
• pro-Gentile adjective
• ungentile adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gentile¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin gentīlis, from gent-, stem of gēns gens + -īlis -ile

Word History and Origins

Origin of Gentile¹

C14: from Late Latin gentīlis, from Latin: one belonging to the same tribe or family; see _gens

Example Sentences

Classify me however you want—liberal/conservative, gentile/Jew—I am an American and will never be truly comfortable in any other place.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Hannah, whose gentile mother makes her “not Jewish,” wonders if her wanting a bat mitzvah might be “cultural appropriation.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Want to watch a Jewish guy and a gentile woman humorously navigate their relationship?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Noah was initially written to be a lot more like Tikhman, leaving Levitan unsure whether the stakes between a Jew and gentile who fall in love were high enough for a TV audience.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

That’s why I used to like gentile delis where I could get pork.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• agnostic