# Jesuit

/ˈdʒɛʒuɪt/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/jesuit
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 2. a crafty person

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic

a person who uses clever but perhaps dishonest tricks to get what they want.

For teachers: a person given to intrigue or equivocation. This sense is historically derogatory and stems from Protestant suspicions of the order's perceived cunning.

- In the old play, the villain was described as a Jesuit because of his secret plans.
- The political pamphlets of the seventeenth century frequently used the term Jesuit as a synonym for a deceptive schemer.

### 3. relating to the Society of Jesus

adjective · CEFR B2

describing something that belongs to or is about the Society of Jesus.

For teachers: of or relating to the Society of Jesus, its members, or its characteristic methods of education and theology.

- She attended a Jesuit high school that was famous for its strict academic standards.
- The library contains a vast collection of Jesuit manuscripts detailing the order's scientific observations during the Enlightenment.

## Examples

- The local university was founded by a Jesuit priest in the nineteenth century.
- He received a rigorous Jesuit education that emphasized both classical languages and scientific inquiry.
- The diplomat's Jesuitical approach to the treaty negotiations allowed him to navigate conflicting interests through incredibly precise, if somewhat evasive, linguistic distinctions.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.