List of religious slurs


The following is a list of religious slurs or religious insults in the English language that are, or have been, used as insinuations or allegations about adherents or non-believers of a given religion or irreligion, or to refer to them in a derogatory, pejorative, or insulting manner.

Christians

Non-denominational

Protestants

Catholics

Oriental Orthodox

Assyrian Church of the East

Latter Day Saint movement

Jews

TermLocation of originTargeted demographicMeaning, origin and notesReferences
Abbie, AbieNorth AmericaJewish maleA Jewish male. From the proper name Abraham. Originated before the 1950s.
Christ-killerJewsIn reference to Jewish deicide.
Feuj FranceJewsA corruption of the French word for Jewish, juif. Originating from the French argot Verlan.
Heeb, HebeUnited StatesJewsDerived from the word Hebrew.
HymieUnited StatesJewsDerived from the Hebrew Chaim. Also used in the term Hymietown, a nickname for Brooklyn, New York, and as a first name.
Ikey, IkeUnited StatesJewsDerived from Isaac, an important figure in Judaism and common Hebrew given name.
ItzigNazi GermanyJewsFrom Yiddish , a variant or pet form of the name Isaak.
JewboyUnited StatesYoung Jewish boysFor a young Jewish male, originally young Jewish boys who sold counterfeit coins in 18th century London.
JidanRomaniaJewsFrom jid, Romanian equivalent of yid.
KikeUnited StatesJewsPossibly from the Yiddish word for 'circle', kikel. It was suggested by Leo Rosten that the term originates from Jews who, when entering the United States at Ellis Island, signed their names with a circle instead of a cross because they associated the cross with Christianity.
MockyUnited StatesJewsFirst used in the 1930s, possibly from the Yiddish word makeh meaning 'plague'.
Red Sea pedestrianAustraliaJewsA Jew, from the story of Moses leading the Jewish people out of Egypt in the Book of Exodus.
Rootless cosmopolitan
Soviet UnionJewsSoviet epithet as an accusation of lack of full allegiance to the Soviet Union.
SheenyEuropeJewsFrom Yiddish sheyn or German schön meaning 'beautiful'.
ShylockEnglandJewsJewish people as shrewd and money-loving; derived from the character in Shakespeare's play "Merchant of Venice".
YidEuropeJewsYiddish word for 'Jew'.
Zhyd
Zhydovka
Russia
Ukraine
JewsFrom Russian and other Slavic languages, originally neutral, but became pejorative during debate over the Jewish question in the 1800s. Its use was banned by the Soviet authorities in the 1930s.

Muslims

Hindus

Buddhists

Sikhs

Zoroastrians

Yazidis

Scientologists

African religions

General non-believers

; Giaour : Word for a person who is not Muslim, but especially for a Christian. Adapted from the Turkish gâvur. In the Ottoman Empire, it was usually applied to Orthodox Christians.
; Heathen: A person who does not belong to a widely held religion as regarded by those who do.
; Infidel: A term used generally for non-believers.
; Kafir: A derogatory term used by Muslims for a person who is a non believer. Not to be confused with the South-African slur Kaffir.
; Murtad: A word meaning people who left Islam, mainly critics of Islam.
;Mushrik: A person who doesn't believe in Tawhid and practices polytheism, worships idols, saints, ancestors or graves.
;Pagan: A person who believes in a non-Abrahamic religion. Synonymous with heathen.
;Savage: A member of a people the speaker regards as primitive and uncivilised. The term has also been applied to non-adherents of Christianity.
;Shiksa, shegetz : A non-Jewish girl or boy, or one who is of Jewish descent but does not practise Orthodox Judaism. Primarily used to refer to non-Jews. See also "goy".

Religious practitioners in general

; Cult, cultist: Used as an ad hominem attack against groups with differing doctrines or practices.