non-jew

IPA/ˌnɒnˈdʒuː/
IPA/ˌnɑːnˈdʒuː/

non-jew — noun

1. a person who does not follow the Jewish religion or does not come from a Jewish

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who does not follow the Jewish religion or does not come from a Jewish family background

Example

A rabbi spoke to both Jewish students and non-Jews about the holiday.

paired structure: both [Jews] and [non-Jews]

Aarav was the only non-Jew in his study group, but everyone made him feel welcome.

Common collocations
  • Jews and non-Jews
  • both Jews and non-Jews
  • open to Jews and non-Jews
Synonyms
  • gentile

    more formal or religious in tone; also used within Mormon contexts to mean 'non-Mormon'

  • non-Jewish person

    less concise; used when the noun form feels too abrupt

Antonyms
  • Jew

    a person who follows the Jewish religion or has Jewish ancestry

  • Jewish person

    more periphrastic alternative to 'Jew'

Grammar Patterns

non-Jew as subject / object / complement

Usage Note

Often appears in contrastive or inclusive contexts alongside the word 'Jew' or 'Jewish'. The capitalised form 'non-Jew' is standard in formal writing.

Common Mistakes

He is a non-Jew person.
He is a non-Jew.
'non-Jew' is itself a noun; do not add 'person' after it.
Many non-Jewish visited the temple.
Many non-Jews visited the temple.
Use the noun 'non-Jew', not the adjective 'non-Jewish', as the subject of a sentence about people.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Non-Jew' is a neutral descriptive term that focuses purely on religious or ethnic identity — it simply means someone who is not Jewish. 'Gentile' carries a stronger religious connotation, appearing most often in Jewish theological writing or in historical texts, and can also refer to non-Mormons within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 'Non-Jewish person' is a longer paraphrase used when the briefer noun feels too abrupt or when the sentence structure calls for an adjective. In everyday conversation, 'non-Jew' is straightforward and widely understood; 'gentile' can sound formal or old-fashioned. For example, 'The organisers welcomed Jews and non-Jews alike' sounds natural in any setting, while 'He was the only gentile in the room' would be more likely in a religious discussion.

non-Jew ↗gentile ↗non-Jewish person

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • Jews and non-Jews
  • both Jews and non-Jews

Etymology

HebrewGreekLatinFrenchEnglish

Formed by combining the prefix 'non-' (meaning 'not') with the noun 'Jew'. 'Jew' comes from Middle English 'Jew', via Old French 'giu', from Latin 'Iudaeus', from Greek 'Ioudaios', and ultimately from Hebrew 'Yehudi' — originally meaning a person from the tribe or kingdom of Judah.