rabbinic

adjective

rab·​bin·​ic rə-ˈbi-nik 

ra-

variants or rabbinical

rə-ˈbi-ni-kəl 

ra-

1

: of or relating to rabbis or their writings

2

: of or preparing for the rabbinate

3

: comprising or belonging to any of several sets of Hebrew characters simpler than the square Hebrew letters

rabbinically

rə-ˈbi-ni-k(ə-)lē 

ra-

adverb

Examples of rabbinic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

If your image of Old World Jewry comes from Grade’s contemporary Isaac Bashevis Singer, with his kabbalists, dybbuks, and elaborate rabbinic courts, swap in Lithuanian Talmudists conducting self-critique and doing pilpul—close textual analysis—in spartan houses of study. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2025

According to rabbinic sources, Abraham and his wife Sarah went on to convert a large number of people to Judaism. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

The Talmud, with its rabbinic legal codes and commentaries, its reams of debates and interpretive disagreements, provided a heady way into learning a new religion. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

But the particular rule regarding kohanim and converts is rabbinic, not Biblical, which—arguably—allows a degree of discretion. —Jeannie Suk Gersen, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1612, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for rabbinic

• triclinic
• baroclinic
• monoclinic
• polyclinic
• clinic
• cynic
• linac
• pinnock