pre-Christian
adjective
pre-Chris·tian
(ˌ)prē-ˈkris-chən 
-ˈkrish-
: of, relating to, or being a time before the beginning of the Christian era
Examples of pre-Christian in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many of these festivals stem from pre-Christian pagan traditions in Europe, including Celtic, Anglo-Saxon and Germanic cultures.
—
Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024
Its evolution began in the pre-Christian era of Western Europe, when the Celtic world was the predominant cultural force in the region.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2024
Promiscuity of belief has been relatively normal for much of human history, as was evident in the pre-Christian Roman Empire, or is evident in Japan or China.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2010
For pre-Christian Romans, Africa, or at least the part of it along the Mediterranean that Rome had occupied, was not marginal, not a hinterland.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
The religious component acts almost as a framing device for the expression of distinctive cultural elements, rituals, customs, song and dance, such as the Waka Waka, or the ancient pre-Christian use of llama parts in sacrifice.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
According to the study, fewer than ten runestones from the pre-Christian era memorialize women, and four of these are the stones that mention Thyra.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
The 1,000 bracteates found in Scandinavia typically show the Norse god Odin healing the sick horse of his son, Balder — but the new pieces show just a horse, an image with important cultural symbolism in pre-Christian Norway.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023
The first is an Axum stele silhouette, a pre-Christian era obelisk-like monument from Ethiopia’s original civilization, with a rounded top instead of a point, carved of a single piece of granite.
—Zachary Smith, cleveland, 25 Aug. 2023
Jenna Prestininzi, Detroit Free Press, 26 Jan. 2024
Its evolution began in the pre-Christian era of Western Europe, when the Celtic world was the predominant cultural force in the region.
—Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 2 Feb. 2024
Promiscuity of belief has been relatively normal for much of human history, as was evident in the pre-Christian Roman Empire, or is evident in Japan or China.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 28 Apr. 2010
For pre-Christian Romans, Africa, or at least the part of it along the Mediterranean that Rome had occupied, was not marginal, not a hinterland.
—Holland Cotter, New York Times, 16 Nov. 2023
The religious component acts almost as a framing device for the expression of distinctive cultural elements, rituals, customs, song and dance, such as the Waka Waka, or the ancient pre-Christian use of llama parts in sacrifice.
—Aatish Taseer, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2023
According to the study, fewer than ten runestones from the pre-Christian era memorialize women, and four of these are the stones that mention Thyra.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Oct. 2023
The 1,000 bracteates found in Scandinavia typically show the Norse god Odin healing the sick horse of his son, Balder — but the new pieces show just a horse, an image with important cultural symbolism in pre-Christian Norway.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2023
The first is an Axum stele silhouette, a pre-Christian era obelisk-like monument from Ethiopia’s original civilization, with a rounded top instead of a point, carved of a single piece of granite.
—Zachary Smith, cleveland, 25 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pre-Christian.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Pre-Christian.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pre-Christian. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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