gentile

play

noun gen·tile \ ˈjen-ˌtī(-ə)l \

Updated on: 11 Sep 2017

Definition of gentile

1 often capitalized :a person of a non-Jewish nation or of non-Jewish faith; especially :a Christian as distinguished from a Jew

2 :heathen, pagan

3 often capitalized :a non-Mormon

See gentile defined for English-language learners

See gentile defined for kids

Examples of gentile in a Sentence

a strict sect that believes that fellowship with gentiles should exist only for the purposes of conversion

Recent Examples of gentile from the Web

Young, old, black, white, Jew, gentile, people from political groups of all stripes, including Trotskyites and other fringe figures as well as more mainstream groups.

— randy dotinga, The Christian Science Monitor, "How did American Naziism begin?," 16 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gentile.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of gentile

Middle English gentyl, gentile — more at ²gentle

Note: Historically the same word as ²gentle, with full vowel in the final syllable under influence of the Medieval and Late Latin source word.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

gentile Synonyms

Synonyms

heathen, idolater (or idolator), pagan

Related Words

atheist, giaour, infidel, misbeliever, miscreant, nonbeliever, unbeliever; non-Christian, non-Jew, non-Muslim; neo-pagan, polytheist

Near Antonyms

Christian, Jew, Muslim

Other Jewish Religion Terms

Talmud, Zion, challah, dybbuk, kosher, tabernacle, tetragrammaton, yarmulke

gentile

adjective

Definition of gentile

1 often capitalized

a :of or relating to the nations at large as distinguished from the Jews; also :of or relating to Christians as distinguished from the Jews

b :of or relating to non-Mormons

2 :heathen, pagan

[borrowed from Latin gentīlis]

:relating to a tribe or clan

Recent Examples of gentile from the Web

East Asians and Ashkenazi Jews have higher average IQ scores than gentile whites.

— robert verbruggen, National Review, "Why I Write about Race and IQ," 5 July 2017
Another retold accounts of Jewish blood libel, myths of Jews using the blood of gentile children in sacrifice rituals, in medieval Russian villages.

— jacob bogage, Washington Post, "Leo Frank was lynched for a murder he didn’t commit. Now neo-Nazis are trying to rewrite history.," 22 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of gentile

Middle English gentyl, gentile — more at ¹gentle

Note: See note at ¹gentile.

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

GENTILE Defined for English Language Learners

gentile

play

noun

Definition of gentile for English Language Learners

: a person who is not Jewish

GENTILE Defined for Kids

gentile

play

noun, often capitalized gen·tile \ ˈjen-ˌtīl \

Definition of gentile for Students

:a person who is not Jewish

gentile

adjective, often capitalized

Definition of gentile for Students

:of or relating to people who are not Jewish

Learn More about gentile

See words that rhyme with gentile Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for gentile Spanish Central: Translation of gentile Nglish: Translation of gentile for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of gentile for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up gentile? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

gentile

Definition of gentile

Explore Merriam-Webster

Examples of gentile in a Sentence

Recent Examples of gentile from the Web

Origin and Etymology of gentile

gentile Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Other Jewish Religion Terms

gentile

Definition of gentile

Recent Examples of gentile from the Web

Origin and Etymology of gentile

Other Christian Religious Terms

GENTILE Defined for English Language Learners

gentile

Definition of gentile for English Language Learners

GENTILE Defined for Kids

gentile

Definition of gentile for Students

gentile

Definition of gentile for Students

Learn More about gentile

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'

These Are Fighting Words

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Words of the Year: 1066