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

The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism condemned recent executive orders by the Trump administration limiting the federal recognition of gender to male and female, and banning transgender soldiers from military service. —Rose Conlon, NPR, 12 Mar. 2025

Premarital counseling led by religious leaders has been around for longer, and is still encouraged in some religions, including Christianity and Judaism. —Carly Mallenbaum, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025

Harry and his bride, who converted to Judaism for him, share two daughters, Lily and Rose. —Raechal Shewfelt, EW.com, 8 Mar. 2025

The census doesn’t track Judaism as either a religion or an ethnicity, and polling on the question is tricky. —Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 7 Mar. 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