anti-Semitism

/ˌæntɪˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm/

//ˌæntɪˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"anti-semitism" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“anti-Semitism” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
13
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Prejudice, discrimination, hostility or political or religious opposition directed against ethnic or religious Jews or against Judaism; antijudaism; judeophobia.

Key facts for anti-Semitism
PropertyValue
Headwordanti-Semitism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌæntɪˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm/
Letters13
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “anti-Semitism” sits in English frequency

anti-Semitism falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

anti-Semitism is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌæntɪˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for anti-Semitism in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From German Antisemitismus. It is typically said that German political agitator Wilhelm Marr invented the term to replace Judenhaß (literally “Jew-hatred”) to make hatred of the Jews seem rational and sanctioned by scientific knowledge; Marr founded the Ant… The correct English form is anti-Semitism, spelled A-N-T-I---S-E-M-I-T-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prejudice, discrimination, hostility or political or religious opposition directed against ethnic or religious Jews or against Judaism; antijudaism; judeophobia.
  2. 2
    Prejudice, discrimination or hostility directed against any Semitic people (ancient or modern), such as Samaritans, Palestinians, Arabs or Assyrians.

Etymology

From German Antisemitismus. It is typically said that German political agitator Wilhelm Marr invented the term to replace Judenhaß (literally “Jew-hatred”) to make hatred of the Jews seem rational and sanctioned by scientific knowledge; Marr founded the Antisemitenliga ("Anti-Semites' League") in 1879, used the terms Semitismus and Antisemiten in his 1879 and 1880 pamphlets Der Sieg des Judenthums über das Germanenthum and Der Weg zum Siege des Germanenthums über das Judenthum, and used Antisemitismus at least as early as his 1885 pamphlet Lessing contra Sem. The related term antisemitisch (“anti-semitic”) was first used in 1860, by Jewish scholar Moritz Steinschneider. See Wikipedia's article on the etymology and usage of the term. The term is superficially/synchronically equivalent to anti- + Semitism (see Semite), for which reason it is rarely extended to cover prejudice against any Semitic people, or against adherents of any of the religions that originated among the Semitic peoples (the Abrahamic religions). See the usage notes.

Synonyms

anti-Semiticism

Antonyms

philo-Semitismphilosemitismpro-Semitismprosemitism

This word in other languages

antisemitismo(Español)anti-sémitisme(Français)Antisemitismus(Deutsch)antissemitismo(Português)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "anti-Semitism"?
"anti-Semitism" is spelled A-N-T-I---S-E-M-I-T-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæntɪˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm/.
What does "anti-Semitism" mean?
As a noun, "anti-Semitism" means: Prejudice, discrimination, hostility or political or religious opposition directed against ethnic or religious Jews or against Judaism; antijudaism; judeophobia.
How do you pronounce "anti-Semitism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "anti-Semitism" is /ˌæntɪˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "anti-Semitism"?
From German Antisemitismus. It is typically said that German political agitator Wilhelm Marr invented the term to replace Judenhaß (literally “Jew-hatred”) to make hatred of the Jews seem rational and sanctioned by scientific knowledge; Marr found... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “anti-Semitism”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is A-N-T-I---S-E-M-I-T-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌæntɪˈsɛmɪˌtɪzəm/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list