Meaning & use
shiksa
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Meaning
nouncountableoffensiveinformal
A non-Jewish woman or girl, used especially by Jewish people; often disparaging.
Grammar: Countable; plural is shiksas. Often used with a possessive: his shiksa girlfriend.
Patterns
- a shiksa
- someone's shiksa
In the novel, the grandmother disapproves of her grandson's shiksa girlfriend.
He joked that he had never dated a shiksa before.
The term shiksa is sometimes used playfully, but it can offend.
Word forms
| plural | shiksas |
|---|
Common combinations
- a shiksa girlfriend
- He brought his shiksa girlfriend to the family dinner.
- date a shiksa
- His mother was upset that he was dating a shiksa.
- call someone a shiksa
- She was hurt when they called her a shiksa.
Synonyms and how they differ
- gentile
- Gentile is a neutral, respectful term for a non-Jewish person; shiksa is informal and often disparaging and specifically refers to a woman.
- non-Jew
- Non-Jew is a plain, neutral description; shiksa carries a stronger cultural and sometimes insulting tone.
Commonly confused: shiksa or shikse?
shiksa vs shikse
Shikse is a variant spelling of the same word; shiksa is the more common form in English.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'shiksa' correctly and naturally?
Choose one answer.
Only option A uses 'shiksa' as a term for a non-Jewish woman, which is its meaning. The other options treat it as a food, a garment, or an animal, which is incorrect.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “shiksa”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.