DictionaryAI

Jewish

JOO-ish/ˈd͡ʒu.ɪʃ/

6 meanings of Jewish

Practice

  1. 1
    people and cultureadjective
    Connected to Jews, their backgrounds, or their cultures.

    She grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn.

    Our town holds a Jewish food festival every spring.

    Oppositegentile, non-Jewish

    Note
  2. 2
    religionadjective
    Following the religion of Judaism.

    Her whole family is Jewish and keeps the Sabbath each week.

    He became Jewish after years of study and prayer.

    Oppositenon-Jewish

    Note
  3. 3
    Yiddish (language)proper nounnonstandard
    Yiddish: the language long spoken by Jews of central and eastern Europe, and still spoken today.

    Grandma always scolded us in Jewish when we misbehaved.

    Her grandparents spoke Jewish at home, the Yiddish they brought from Poland.

    UsageSay Yiddish instead, because people may think you mean Hebrew.

    SimilarYiddish

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    Hebrew languageproper nounnonstandard
    An informal word for Hebrew, the language of Jewish prayers and of Israel today.

    He's learning Jewish so he can read the prayers at his bar mitzvah.

    "I can't read any of these street signs, they're all in Jewish," my little brother said in Tel Aviv.

    UsageSay Hebrew instead, because people may think you mean Yiddish.

  2. 5
    adjectivederogatoryoffensivedated
    Greedy or stingy with money, used as an insulting, old-fashioned slur against Jewish people.
    "Vanity!" ſays ſhe, haughtily, "What is vanity in you, ſir, is propriety in me. You aſk a Jewiſh price for it, Mr. Graves; but have it I will, if only to ſpite Mr. Eſmond."
    1852, William Makepeace Thackeray, The History of Henry EsmondHere, Jewish is an offensive old way to say greedy or overly high, about money.
    Note
  3. 6
    nounnonstandard
    A nonstandard word for a Jew: someone belonging to the Jewish people or following Judaism.
    The Statue of Liberty. A French gift with a poem made by a Jewish.
    2022, ArgieSocDem, TwitterHere, Jewish is used as a noun to mean a Jew, a Jewish person.

Practice

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Origin

It comes from the word Jew plus the ending -ish.

Checked 6 Nov 2026 · 1 fact