goyish

American

[goi-ish] / ˈgɔɪ ɪʃ /

adjective

Usually Disparaging.

being, pertaining to, or characteristic of a goy or goys.

explaining Passover to my goyish boss;
a goyish version of chicken soup.

Sensitive Note

See goy.

Etymology

Origin of goyish

goy + -ish ¹

Compare meaning

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

goyish vs. Jewish

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.

Postwar Hollywood tackled the issue of antisemitism — from a goyish viewpoint — in films like “Gentleman’s Agreement,” in which Gregory Peck played a journalist posing as a Jew to root out bigotry.

From New York Times • Dec. 16, 2022

In my Monday column about 92-year-old Gerry Steinkeller’s much-delayed bar mitzvah, I evidenced an imperfect, goyish notion of Judaism.

From Washington Post • Jan. 22, 2020

Brandon Tartikoff, former president of NBC Entertainment, who helped develop both shows, notes the ethnic gulf: "Cheers is the most goyish show on TV; Seinfeld is the most Jewish."

From Time Magazine Archive

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