Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

1

gentile

play
noun gen·tile \ˈjen-ˌtī(-ə)l\

Definition of gentile

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

  2. 2 :  heathen, pagan

  3. 3 often capitalized :  a non-Mormon

See gentile defined for English-language learners

See gentile defined for kids

Read the Latest from M-W

alt-5970fcc51169b
Trending: An Interview Full of 'Non sequiturs'
ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Examples of gentile in a Sentence

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

Origin and Etymology of gentile

Middle English gentyl, gentile — more at 2gentle ◆Historically the same word as 2gentle, with full vowel in the final syllable under influence of the Medieval and Late Latin source word.

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

2

gentile

adjective gen·tile

Definition of gentile

  1. 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 Jewsb :  of or relating to non-Mormons

  2. 2 :  heathen, pagan

  3. 3 [borrowed from Latin gentīlis] :  relating to a tribe or clan

Origin and Etymology of gentile

Middle English gentyl, gentile — more at 1gentle ◆See note at 1gentile.

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

1

gentile

play
noun , often cap gen·tile \ˈjen-ˌtīl\

Definition of gentile for Students

  1. :  a person who is not Jewish

2

gentile

play
adjective , often cap gen·tile

Definition of gentile for Students

  1. :  of or relating to people who are not Jewish

Learn More about gentile

  1. 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 hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

gauche

play

lacking social experience or grace

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. non sequitur “It does not follow”

  2. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  3. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

  4. kakistocracy Frustrated Twitter users have been searching for this word.

  5. bona fide Made in good faith

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

gentile

Test Your Vocabulary

The Emoji Quiz

  • emoji-the-quiz
  • What phase of the moon is this: 🌖 ?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

ghost-being-disinvited-from-party
'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

alt-596f730ceb5ae
Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

alt-596e1a928254c
Words We're Watching: 'Fidget Spinner'

Don't fight the fad

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
SCRABBLE® Sprint
SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game
Examples: gentile in a Sentence