Chris·tian
ˈkris-chən 
ˈkrish-
1
a
: one who professes belief in the teachings of Jesus Christ
b(1)
(2)
: a member of one of the Churches of Christ separating from the Disciples of Christ in 1906
(3)
: a member of the Christian denomination having part in the union of the United Church of Christ concluded in 1961
2
: the hero in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress
1
a
: of or relating to Christianity
Christian scriptures
b
: based on or conforming with Christianity
Christian ethics
2
a
: of, relating to, or being a Christian
Christian responsibilities
b
: professing Christianity
a Christian affirmation
a Christian country
3
: treating other people in a kind or generous way
has a very Christian concern for others
Christianly
adjective or adverb
Examples of Christian in a Sentence
Adjective
Many of my friends are Christian.
He showed a very Christian concern for others.
Recent Examples on the Web
Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024
He’s collaborated with and written for artists such as Christian Nodal, Carin León, Grupo Firme and Banda MS, to name a few.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024
Maisie Williams revamped French fashion designer Christian Dior's signature silhouette.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
But a group of the folks who made Wunderlist in the first place, led by co-founder Christian Reber, set out to bring its spirit back to life.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 13 Feb. 2024
Coaches awarded running back Christian McCaffrey the Bill Walsh Award.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2024
Following the incident, authorities managed to retrieve 10 pairs of Versace glasses, two pairs of Prada glasses, and one pair of Christian Dior glasses.
—Luke Gentile, Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2024
Maya Layton, Faith Christian The sophomore dropped 39 points, including a ¾-court shot, against FW Northrop to become the program's all-time leading scorer with 922 career points.
—Brian Haenchen, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
Patent leather boots by Christian Louboutin completed the look.
—Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Some clergy view the ban on abortions as favoring Christian values and ignoring other religions' tenets.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2024
The ad, signed by more than 900 Christian faith leaders, was perhaps the clearest sign yet of the movement’s growth.
—Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
When the women were permitted to visit Chibok in December, Hauwa’s uncles connected with a Christian charity that took her away to a different town and is working to send her abroad to study.
—Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Shirin Taber, founder of Empower Women Media and the Abraham Women's Alliance, put on an event at the United Nations in New York, bringing together interfaith leaders of Arab, Jewish, Muslim and Christian backgrounds to dialogue with one another and find common ground for peace.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
The Christian Nationalists view Trump much as his disgruntled base of working-class nihilist supporters have always viewed him — as a kind of holy wrecking ball.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
These changes alienated many Catholic and evangelical Democrats and established the GOP as the political home of white Christian conservatives.
—TIME, 2 Apr. 2024
In the Christian faith, they have been viewed as a symbol of new life and the resurrection of Jesus.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Noun
The view here: In the defense of Grier and other Dolphins officials involved in these picks, the organization has made several excellent draft selections on defense — Howard, Christian Wilkins, Phillips, Holland, Jerome Baker and Andrew Van Ginkel, among others.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 Feb. 2024
He’s collaborated with and written for artists such as Christian Nodal, Carin León, Grupo Firme and Banda MS, to name a few.
—Griselda Flores, Billboard, 13 Feb. 2024
Maisie Williams revamped French fashion designer Christian Dior's signature silhouette.
—Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 13 Feb. 2024
But a group of the folks who made Wunderlist in the first place, led by co-founder Christian Reber, set out to bring its spirit back to life.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 13 Feb. 2024
Coaches awarded running back Christian McCaffrey the Bill Walsh Award.
—Cam Inman, The Mercury News, 13 Feb. 2024
Following the incident, authorities managed to retrieve 10 pairs of Versace glasses, two pairs of Prada glasses, and one pair of Christian Dior glasses.
—Luke Gentile, Washington Examiner, 8 Jan. 2024
Maya Layton, Faith Christian The sophomore dropped 39 points, including a ¾-court shot, against FW Northrop to become the program's all-time leading scorer with 922 career points.
—Brian Haenchen, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Jan. 2024
Patent leather boots by Christian Louboutin completed the look.
—Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 8 Jan. 2024
Adjective
But it is governed by a board of trustees, most of whom are Nazarenes who advance the belief that the Old and New Testament contain all the truth necessary to faith and Christian living.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2024
Some clergy view the ban on abortions as favoring Christian values and ignoring other religions' tenets.
—Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 13 Apr. 2024
The ad, signed by more than 900 Christian faith leaders, was perhaps the clearest sign yet of the movement’s growth.
—Sheera Frenkel, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
When the women were permitted to visit Chibok in December, Hauwa’s uncles connected with a Christian charity that took her away to a different town and is working to send her abroad to study.
—Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani, The Atlantic, 12 Apr. 2024
Shirin Taber, founder of Empower Women Media and the Abraham Women's Alliance, put on an event at the United Nations in New York, bringing together interfaith leaders of Arab, Jewish, Muslim and Christian backgrounds to dialogue with one another and find common ground for peace.
—Loureen Ayyoub, CBS News, 11 Apr. 2024
The Christian Nationalists view Trump much as his disgruntled base of working-class nihilist supporters have always viewed him — as a kind of holy wrecking ball.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
These changes alienated many Catholic and evangelical Democrats and established the GOP as the political home of white Christian conservatives.
—TIME, 2 Apr. 2024
In the Christian faith, they have been viewed as a symbol of new life and the resurrection of Jesus.
—Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Christian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Adjective
Latin christianus, adjective & noun, from Greek christianos, from Christos — see Christ
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b
Time Traveler
The first known use of Christian was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing Christian
Dictionary Entries Near Christian
Cite this Entry
“Christian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Christian. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
Christian
1 of 2 noun
Chris·tian
ˈkris-chən
ˈkrish-
1
: a person who believes in Jesus Christ and follows his teachings
2
: a member of a Christian church
Christian
2 of 2 adjective1
: of or relating to Jesus Christ or the religion based on his teachings
2
: of or relating to Christians
a Christian nation
3
: being what a Christian should be or do
Christian behavior
More from Merriam-Webster on Christian
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about Christian
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