gentile
of or relating to any people not Jewish.
Christian, as distinguished from Jewish.
Mormon Church. not Mormon.
heathen or pagan.
(of a linguistic expression) expressing nationality or local origins.
of or relating to a tribe, clan, people, nation, etc.
a person who is not Jewish, especially a Christian.
(among Mormons) a person who is not a Mormon.
a heathen or pagan.
Origin of gentile
1Other words from gentile
- non·gen·tile, adjective, noun
- pro-Gentile, adjective, noun
- un·gen·tile, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
British Dictionary definitions for gentile (1 of 3)
/ (ˈdʒɛntaɪl) /
denoting an adjective or proper noun used to designate a place or the inhabitants of a place, as Spanish and Spaniard
of or relating to a tribe or people
Origin of gentile
1British Dictionary definitions for Gentile (2 of 3)
/ (ˈdʒɛntaɪl) /
a person who is not a Jew
a Christian, as contrasted with a Jew
a person who is not a member of one's own church: used esp by Mormons
a heathen or pagan
of or relating to a race or religion that is not Jewish
Christian, as contrasted with Jewish
not being a member of one's own church: used esp by Mormons
pagan or heathen
British Dictionary definitions for Gentile (3 of 3)
/ (Italian dʒenˈtiːle) /
Giovanni (dʒoˈvanni). 1875–1944, Italian Idealist philosopher and Fascist politician: minister of education (1922–24)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Gentile
Someone who is not a Jew (see also Jews). “The nations” is the common expression in the Old Testament for non-Jews as a group, and a Gentile is a person belonging to “the nations.”
Notes for Gentile
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Browse