Jezebel

American  

[jez-uh-bel, -buhl] / ˈdʒɛz əˌbɛl, -bəl /

noun

1. Also Jezabel (in the Bible) the wife of Ahab, king of ancient Israel.

2. Often jezebel a wicked, shameless woman.

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Jezebel British  

/ ˈdʒɛzəˌbɛl, -bəl /

noun

1. Old Testament the wife of Ahab, king of Israel: she fostered the worship of Baal and tried to destroy the prophets of Israel (I Kings 18:4–13); she was killed by Jehu (II Kings 9:29–37)

2. (sometimes not capital) a shameless or scheming woman

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Jezebel Cultural  

1. In the Old Testament, an immoral, cruel queen of Israel who attempted to kill Elijah and other prophets of God.

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Discover More

A “jezebel” is a scheming and shamelessly evil woman.

Other Word Forms

• Jezebelian adjective
• Jezebelish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Jezebel

First recorded in 1550–60 Jezebel for def. 2; from Hebrew Izebhel, of uncertain origin and meaning, -zebhel perhaps representing the divine title “prince”

Example Sentences

One widely shared example: Two days before Kirk’s killing, the feminist website Jezebel published an article titled, “We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.”

From Los Angeles Times

“Go mama,” Georgia May’s older sister Jade Sheena Jezebel Jagger — a mother of three — wrote.

From Los Angeles Times

Last year, G/O Media shut down Jezebel, a pioneering feminist website, and then sold it to Paste Magazine.

From New York Times

Pitchfork announced it was no longer a freestanding music site, after digital publications BuzzFeed News and Jezebel disappeared last year.

From Seattle Times

Jezebel, founded in 2007 by Gawker Media, arrived at a time when blogs were a major way in which subcultures and communities formed and connected online.

From Los Angeles Times