Jewish

adjective

Jew·​ish ˈjü-ish 

: of, relating to, or characteristic of the Jews

also : being a Jew

Jewishly adverb

Jewishness noun

Usage of Jew and Jewish

The noun Jew is commonly used by people who identify as such, often as a deeply meaningful designation. However, use of the term by those who are not Jewish in generalizations about Jewish people, and especially in generalizations about Jewish people that draw on stereotypes, is highly offensive. Adjectival use by those who are not Jewish is also commonly considered offensive; Jewish is used before nouns instead.

my Jewish neighbor

Examples of Jewish in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The story follows a Jewish family across five generations, from childhood to adulthood, blending laughs and tear-jerking moments, just like in Bob-Waksberg’s other shows. —Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025

This is already an issue in the world of human resources where LLMs might unfairly reject a candidate because their last name sounds Jewish, the research noted. —Mark Guarino, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2025

In Los Angeles, Rabbi Hannah Jensen, who helps lead the progressive congregation Ikar, invoked the traditional Three Weeks of mourning on the Jewish calendar — and reimagined them as an extended period of civic grief for her city. —Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 5 Aug. 2025

His thought experiments lead sometimes to stone walls and sometimes to flashes of insight or hilarity, always with an un-erasable Jewish inflection. —Jon Raymond august 5, Literary Hub, 5 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1531, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing Jewish

• anti-Jewish
• Jewish American Princess
• Jewish calendar
• Jewish New Year
• non-Jewish

Rhymes for Jewish

• bluish