Judaism

noun

Ju·​da·​ism ˈjü-dē-ˌi-zəm  ˈjü-də-  ˈjü-(ˌ)dā- 

 British also  ˈjü-ˌdi-zəm

1

: a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews and characterized by belief in one transcendent God who has revealed himself to Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a religious life in accordance with Scriptures and rabbinic traditions

2

: the cultural, social, and religious beliefs and practices of the Jews

3

: conformity to Jewish rites, ceremonies, and practices

4

: the whole body of Jews : the Jewish people

Examples of Judaism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noah and Joanne seem to be doing well, following the end of season one, which left questions about what their future together would look like, as Joanne was hesitant to convert to Judaism, despite Noah’s promotion to head rabbi. —Lexi Carson, HollywoodReporter, 14 Aug. 2025

Still, the tension over whether Joanne, who is agnostic, will convert to Judaism — and how her choice will affect Noah’s career and family life — certainly persists. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025

The finale concluded with Noah making the drastic decision to continue their relationship despite his promotion to head rabbi and Joanne's decision not to convert to Judaism. —Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 14 Aug. 2025

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, arrived at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly with decades of experience building ties between the Lutheran and Jewish communities. —Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 12 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing Judaism

• anti-Judaism
• Conservative Judaism
• Orthodox Judaism
• Reform Judaism

Rhymes for Judaism

• autism
• fascism
• racism
• sikhism
• statism
• sufism
• thomism
• tourism
• tropism
• abolitionism
• aldosteronism
• americanism

Kids Definition

Judaism

noun

Ju·​da·​ism ˈjüd-ə-ˌiz-əm  ˈjüd-ē- 

1

: a religion developed among the ancient Hebrews that stresses belief in one God and faithfulness to the laws of the Torah

2

: the beliefs and practices of the Jews

Judaic

jü-ˈdā-ik

adjective