gentile

1 of 2

noun

gen·​tile ˈjen-ˌtī(-ə)l 

plural gentiles

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 entry 2 sense 1

3

often capitalized : a non-Mormon

gentile

2 of 2

adjective

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

: pagan

3

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

Synonyms

Noun

• heathen
• idolater
• idolator
• pagan

Examples of gentile in a Sentence

Noun

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Can the hot rabbi date the pretty gentile and ultimately end up with her? —Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2024

Netanyahu loves lecturing gentiles in his perfect English, and much of the Israeli public loves these performances. —Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 8 June 2016

Adjective

Fast forward to now, the actor stars as Noah in Nobody Wants This, a Rabbi who falls in love with a gentile woman Joanne (Kristen Bell) who navigates the ups and downs of love and religious and cultural differences. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 7 Oct. 2024

On an episode of her and sister Sara Foster's podcast, The World's First Podcast, Foster revealed the show was originally titled Shiksha (a term generally used by Jewish people to describe a gentile woman). —Liza Esquibias, People.com, 1 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gentyl, gentile — more at gentle entry 2

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

Adjective

Middle English gentyl, gentile — more at gentle entry 1

Note: See note at gentile entry 1.

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Kids Definition

gentile

noun

gen·​tile

ˈjen-ˌtīl

1

often capitalized : a person who is not Jewish

2

: a person who does not follow the God of the Bible

3

often capitalized : a person who is not a Mormon

gentile adjective often capitalized

Etymology

Noun

Middle English gentil, gentile "one who is not Jewish," derived from Latin gentilis "a member of the same family, clan, or nation," from gent-, gens "clan, family, race"; from the fact that the early Christians used the Latin word genes, plural of gens, as a translation of the Hebrew word gōyīm, literally, "the nations," used to refer to all non-Jewish people