ANTISEMITISM Definition & Meaning

antisemitism

or ��·�پ�-��·��·�پ��

[ an-tee-sem-i-tiz-uhm, an-tahy- ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

discrimination against or prejudice or hostility toward Jews.

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Spelling Note

The closed and lowercase spelling antisemitism is now the preferred form. Jewish groups have long preferred the single word spelling, and many style guides, including those of major publications, have also adopted it. While Semitic is a current linguistic term for a subfamily of Afroasiatic languages including Akkadian, Arabic, Aramaic, Ethiopic, Hebrew, and Phoenician, the spelling anti-Semite falsely implies prejudice against all of the diverse groups of people who speak any of these languages. However, that is not how antisemite is used. Rather, the “Semite” in antisemitism is a euphemism for “Jew,” meant to lend a scientific air to the racial grouping of all Jewish peoples based on an outdated pseudoscience of race.

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of antisemitism¹

First recorded in 1880–85

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

It’s a category error to see Trump’s actions as truly about antisemitism.

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Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform, that the firm agreed to combat antisemitism and not engage in “DEI” efforts.

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The arrests are a part of Trump's pledge to combat what the administration has classified as antisemitism, which was written into an executive order in January.

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The Trump administration has threatened to revoke federal funding from universities that don’t comply with largely vague demands to reign in protests and combat antisemitism.

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Prominent figures, including several Jewish leaders, have stayed away from an international conference on antisemitism held in Jerusalem, in protest at the inclusion of politicians from across Europe associated with the far right.

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