anti-Semite

1 of 2

noun (1)

an·​ti-Sem·​ite ˌan-tē-ˈse-ˌmīt How to pronounce anti-Semite (audio) ˌan-tī- How to pronounce anti-Semite (audio)
especially British -ˈsē-ˌmīt
: a person who has a hostile, prejudiced attitude toward Jews : an anti-Semitic person
The anti-Semites of his day insisted that Disraeli was bogus in every respect but his identification with Jews and Judaism.—Anthony Julius

anti-Semitism

2 of 2

noun (2)

an·​ti-Sem·​i·​tism ˌan-tē-ˈse-mə-ˌti-zəm How to pronounce anti-Semitism (audio) ˌan-ˌtī- How to pronounce anti-Semitism (audio)
variants or less commonly antisemitism
: hostility toward or discrimination against Jews as a religious, ethnic, or racial group

Examples of anti-Semite in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Anyone who dared to speak out against Zionism and Israeli extremism is labelled an anti-Semite and at times, even a Nazi. — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025 That is, rightists who oppose aid to Ukraine tend to be skeptical of Israel and at least open to having anti-Semites in the Republican coalition. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Mar. 2026
Noun
Always very sensitive about anti-Semitism, Lansky was acutely aware of what the Nazis were doing to Jews. — Literary Hub, 24 Mar. 2026 Shakespeare’s genius is as evident in The Merchant of Venice, which is pervaded by anti-Semitism, as in his other work. — Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for anti-Semite

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

borrowed from German Antisemit, from anti- anti- + Semit semite

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1880, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-Semite was in 1880

Rhymes for anti-Semite

See All Rhymes for anti-Semite

Browse Nearby Words

antiselene
anti-Semite
anti-Semitic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Anti-Semite.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-Semite. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All