Sephardi
noun
Se·phar·di
sə-ˈfär-dē 
plural Sephardim
sə-ˈfär-dəm
: a member of the occidental branch of European Jews settling in Spain and Portugal and later in the Balkans, the Levant, England, the Netherlands, and the Americas
also
: one of their descendants compare ashkenazi
Examples of Sephardi in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Rabbi Isaac Sacca, the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Buenos Aires, posted Chehebar’s ruling on social media and defended it in an interview with JTA.
—
Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
The videos spreading across social media of Jews reuniting with their families, often with effusions of Jewish prayer — secular and religious, young and old, Ashkenazi and Sephardi — filled so many Jews (and plenty of non-Jews) with joy.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Nov. 2025
Two Jewish names inscribed in Arabic on the device—Ishaq and Yunus, or Isaac and Jonah—suggest the astrolabe once circulated within a Sephardi community in Spain.
—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Mar. 2024
The names could be the Jewish names Isaac and Jonah written in Arabic, which Gigante said suggests the tool was used in a Sephardi Jewish community in Spain, where Arabic was spoken.
—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
7 Mar. 2024
Isabelle Lira, a Sephardi heiress and businesswoman, is on a quest for a husband.
—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2023
Ashkenazi and many Sephardi families eschew roasted lamb in deference to the destruction of the Second Temple in ancient Jerusalem, where lambs were traditionally sacrificed on the eve of Passover.
—
Leah Koenig,
Washington Post,
31 Mar. 2023
How Ashkenazi Jews relate to Sephardi Jews and the many other living Jewish communities, and how all of these communities relate to Roman-period Judeans, are mysteries that ancient DNA research may also one day address.
—
David Reich,
The Conversation,
30 Nov. 2022
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Juan Melamed,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Jan. 2026
The videos spreading across social media of Jews reuniting with their families, often with effusions of Jewish prayer — secular and religious, young and old, Ashkenazi and Sephardi — filled so many Jews (and plenty of non-Jews) with joy.
—
Steven Zeitchik,
HollywoodReporter,
1 Nov. 2025
Two Jewish names inscribed in Arabic on the device—Ishaq and Yunus, or Isaac and Jonah—suggest the astrolabe once circulated within a Sephardi community in Spain.
—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
14 Mar. 2024
The names could be the Jewish names Isaac and Jonah written in Arabic, which Gigante said suggests the tool was used in a Sephardi Jewish community in Spain, where Arabic was spoken.
—
Mike Snider,
USA TODAY,
7 Mar. 2024
Isabelle Lira, a Sephardi heiress and businesswoman, is on a quest for a husband.
—
Olivia Waite,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2023
Ashkenazi and many Sephardi families eschew roasted lamb in deference to the destruction of the Second Temple in ancient Jerusalem, where lambs were traditionally sacrificed on the eve of Passover.
—
Leah Koenig,
Washington Post,
31 Mar. 2023
How Ashkenazi Jews relate to Sephardi Jews and the many other living Jewish communities, and how all of these communities relate to Roman-period Judeans, are mysteries that ancient DNA research may also one day address.
—
David Reich,
The Conversation,
30 Nov. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Sephardi.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Sephardi. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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