Yetzer (יצר) means instinct in Hebrew.
It is a masculine noun, and the Hebrew dictionary's own definitions are below.
instinct
The stress falls on the part in bold.
The dictionary gives 2 meanings for Yetzer.
The definitions are in Hebrew, as the dictionary writes them.
- 1התכונות הטבועות באינדיבידואל, המניעות אותו וקובעות את מעשיו.
וַיַּרְא יְהוָה, כִּי רַבָּה רָעַת הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ, וְכָל-יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ, רַק רַע כָּל-הַיּוֹם.
- 2שם פרטי לזכר.
וּבְנֵי נַפְתָּלִי יַחְצְאֵל וְגוּנִי וְיֵצֶר וְשִׁלֵּם.
The verses are quoted from the Hebrew Bible, with the word in bold.
The word Yetzer is a masculine noun.
- Written with vowel points
- יֵצֶר
- Written without vowel points
- יצר
- Said
- yetzer
- Root
- י־צ־ר
- Pattern
- קֵטֶל
- Plural
- יְצָרִים
- Inflections
- יִצְרוֹ, ר' יְצָרִים
- Gematria
- 300
This is how Yetzer is said in other languages.
- English
- instinct
These words mean nearly the same as Yetzer.
A word with a dashed border has no page of its own in this dictionary yet.
These words rhyme with Yetzer.
The word Yetzer is part of these phrases and sayings.
A word with a dashed border has no page of its own in this dictionary yet.
The word Yetzer comes from the root י־צ־ר, like these words.
These words come before and after Yetzer in the dictionary.
These are the questions people ask about the word Yetzer.
What does Yetzer (יצר) mean in Hebrew?
Yetzer (יצר) means instinct. It is said yetzer, with the stress on ye.
What is a synonym for Yetzer (יצר)?
Words that mean nearly the same as Yetzer (יצר) are אינסטינקט, דחף, and נטייה.
What rhymes with Yetzer (יצר)?
Words that rhyme with Yetzer (יצר) include נצר.
Is Yetzer (יצר) masculine or feminine?
The word Yetzer (יצר) is a masculine noun, and its plural is יְצָרִים.
The definitions, pronunciation, synonyms and translations on this page are adapted from the entry יצר of the Hebrew Wiktionary, read on 1 November 2026, and are shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.