Jonah

[joh-nuh]

See more synonyms for Jonah on Thesaurus.com

noun

a Minor Prophet who, for his impiety, was thrown overboard from his ship and swallowed by a large fish, remaining in its belly for three days before being cast up onto the shore unharmed.
a book of the Bible bearing his name.
any person or thing regarded as bringing bad luck.

Also Jo·nas [joh-nuh s] /ˈdʒoʊ nəs/. a male given name: from a Hebrew word meaning “dove.”

Related formsJo·nah·esque, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for jonah

unlucky, woeful, cursed, ill-fated, loser, luckless, miserable, star-crossed, unhappy, untoward, wretched, infelicitous, hexed, ill-starred, jonah, snakebit

Examples from the Web for jonah

Contemporary Examples of jonah

Jonah Edelman is the co-founder and CEO of Stand for Children.
What It Takes to Fix American Education
Jonah Edelman
November 23, 2014
Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are justifiable movie stars in that movie.
What the Hell Is ‘Twee’? A Genre? A Mindset? An Art Form?
Scott Porch
June 23, 2014
Poor Jonah has been hearing about that bet over and over again.
Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill on ‘22 Jump Street,’ Penis Kissing, and Julie Andrews’s Boobs
Kevin Fallon
June 10, 2014
At the table-read for Sarah Marshall, Jonah and Russell had such amazing chemistry.
The Unheralded Comedy Genius: Nicholas Stoller on ‘Neighbors,’ Zac Efron’s ‘Darkness,’ and Diddy
Marlow Stern
May 8, 2014
I saw the same with Jonah and Russell and their chemistry, and I immediately conceived of the film right there.
The Unheralded Comedy Genius: Nicholas Stoller on ‘Neighbors,’ Zac Efron’s ‘Darkness,’ and Diddy
Marlow Stern
May 8, 2014

Historical Examples of jonah

The history of Jonah and the whale, I read at least twenty times.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
I 'guess Jonah wa'n't more tickled when he set foot on dry land.
Meadow Grass
Alice Brown
So they took up Jonah and cast him forth into the sea, and the sea ceased from her raging.'
Storyology
Benjamin Taylor
"I suppose Jonah cal'lated he didn't need to be swallowed," he mused.
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln
"I know how Jonah felt after the whale unloaded him," he drawled.
Shavings
Joseph C. Lincoln

British Dictionary definitions for jonah

Jonah

Jonas (ˈdʒəʊnəs)

noun

Old Testament
1. a Hebrew prophet who, having been thrown overboard from a ship in which he was fleeing from God, was swallowed by a great fish and vomited onto dry land
2. the book in which his adventures are recounted
a person believed to bring bad luck to those around him; a jinx

Derived FormsJonahesque, adjective

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

Word Origin and History for jonah

Jonah

masc. proper name, biblical prophet, from Hebrew Yonah, literally "dove, pigeon."