gentile

gentile — noun

IPA/ˈdʒentaɪl/
KK[dʒˈɛntˌaɪl]IPA/ˈdʒentaɪl/
  • gentilesingular
  • gentilesplural

1. a person whose background or faith lies outside the Jewish tradition — someone w

1.nounB2
Definition

a person whose background or faith lies outside the Jewish tradition — someone who does not follow Judaism or belong to the Jewish people by birth or by choice

Example

The rabbi welcomed both Jewish and gentile neighbours to the community dinner.

contrast with 'Jewish' in the same sentence

David grew up in a gentile family and later studied Hebrew as an adult.

collocation: gentile family

Common collocations
  • gentile community
  • gentile world
  • gentile neighbour
  • gentile visitor
  • Jewish and gentile
Synonyms
  • non-Jew

    more neutral, descriptive, and common in everyday use

  • goy

    Yiddish-derived term; can carry a neutral or mildly derogatory tone depending on context

Antonyms
  • Jew

    a person of Jewish faith or ancestry

  • Jewish person

    the direct opposite in religious or ethnic identity

Grammar Patterns

gentile as a countable noun

the gentile community

Usage Note

Often capitalised ('Gentile') in formal or religious writing. The term is common in interfaith contexts where the distinction between Jewish and non-Jewish identity matters. Some speakers find it neutral, while others perceive it as othering — in everyday conversation 'non-Jewish' is often preferred.

Common Mistakes

All my classmates are gentiles except David who is Chinese.
All my classmates are non-Jewish except David who is Jewish.
'Gentile' contrasts specifically with Jewish, not with other religions or nationalities. A Chinese person can also be Jewish.
The gentile community in India is very large.
The non-Muslim community in India is very large.
'Gentile' distinguishes from Jewish, not from other world religions.

2. someone who follows a different religion from the speaker — a term used inside c

2.nounC1
Definition

someone who follows a different religion from the speaker — a term used inside certain faith communities, most commonly among Mormons and Hindus, to refer to people of other beliefs

Example

In Mormon communities, the word 'gentile' means anyone outside the LDS Church.

Mormon-specific usage of 'gentile'

Raj noticed that his Mormon neighbours called non-members gentiles.

Common collocations
  • term gentile
  • refer to someone as a gentile
  • non-members / gentiles
Synonyms
  • non-member

    the preferred neutral term within Mormon contexts

  • outsider

    more general, less religiously specific

Antonyms
  • member

    someone who belongs to the faith community in question

  • co-religionist

    formal term for a person who shares the same religion

Grammar Patterns

gentile as a term used by an in-group

Usage Note

This sense is much less common than sense 1 and is almost entirely restricted to in-group speech within Mormon (LDS) and some Hindu communities. Learners will rarely encounter it outside these settings.

Common Mistakes

Buddhists are gentiles to Hindus.
Hindus sometimes use the word "gentile" to refer to people outside their faith, including Buddhists.
The term is used from the perspective of the speaker's own group, not as a neutral label.

gentile — adjective

IPA/ˈdʒen.taɪl/
KK[dʒˈɛntˌaɪl]IPA/ˈdʒen.taɪl/

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All three terms describe people outside the Jewish faith, but they differ in register and connotation. 'Gentile' (often capitalised) is the most formal and is common in religious writing and interfaith discussions — it is the traditional English translation of the Hebrew 'goy' in the Bible. 'Non-Jew' is a neutral, modern alternative that avoids the capitalised or theological tone of 'gentile'; it works in any register from casual conversation to academic writing. 'Goy' is a Yiddish borrowing (plural 'goyim') that ranges from neutral in-group slang among Jewish speakers to mildly derogatory when used by others. For example, a Jewish studies professor might write 'The gospel was preached to both Jews and gentiles' (formal), while a friend might say 'Half the guests at the wedding were non-Jews' (neutral, conversational). Using 'goy' as an outsider carries a risk of giving offence, so most learners should stick with 'non-Jew' or 'gentile'.

non-Jew ↗goygentile ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Jew and gentile alike
  • both Jewish and gentile

Prepositions

  • among gentiles
  • between Jews and gentiles

Etymology

LatinEnglish

The word comes from Latin 'gentīlis', which originally meant 'belonging to the same family or clan' (from 'gēns' = family, tribe, nation). In the Latin translation of the Bible (the Vulgate), 'gentīlis' was used to render the Hebrew word 'goy' (nation/foreign nation) and the Greek 'ethnos', referring to non-Israelite peoples. By the 14th century, English had adopted 'gentile' specifically for people outside the Jewish faith — the clan/family meaning having faded. The later Latter-day Saint and Hindu usages extend this same logic of 'outsider to a faith community' into new contexts.