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In ancient Greek, pentekoste meant "fiftieth day"—that is, the fiftieth day after Easter (counting Easter itself). On that day, Christians celebrate an event described in the Bible that took place fifty days after Christ's resurrection, when the apostles heard the rush of a mighty wind, saw tongues of fire descending on them, and heard the Holy Spirit speaking from their own mouths but in other tongues (languages). "Speaking in tongues", when everyone in a congregation may begin talking in languages that no one can understand, is the best-known practice of Pentecostals. Pentecostals belong to many different denominations; with growing numbers especially in Latin America and Africa, there may be over 500 million Pentecostals worldwide.
Examples of Pentecostal in a Sentence
Carlos De Loera, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2023
Perry, the daughter of Pentecostal pastors, prevailed.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Oct. 2023
Waggoner grew up in Longview, Washington, near the Oregon border, and belongs to the Assemblies of God, the largest Pentecostal denomination—part of a movement defined by speaking in tongues.
—David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2023
My grandmother took us to these little Pentecostal churches, where the musical and moral legacy had a profound influence on my life.
—Thor Christensen, Dallas News, 1 Aug. 2023
Advertisement The impact and contradictions of the one-party Marxist Leninist government, the creeping influence of Pentecostal evangelism and the growing frustrations of working-class Ethiopians vibrate with urgency in this novelist’s hands.
—Lovia Gyarkye, Washington Post, 29 June 2023
The most significant Pentecostal pastors are skillful political and religious entrepreneurs, developing new spiritual narratives to attract and influence parishioners and turning their churches into the engines of substantial revenue-yielding empires.
—Ebenezer Obadare, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2023
His Anglo American Pentecostal parents devoted their lives to helping evangelical churches in Mexico.
—Marcela Valdes, New York Times, 28 June 2023
Chavez would have immediately noticed a striking contrast between demonstrative Pentecostal worship and the staid music of Catholicism in the pre-Vatican II years.
—Lloyd Daniel Barba, Fortune, 31 Mar. 2023
Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 28 Oct. 2023
Alfaro, who was raised in nearby Pico-Union by a Mexican Catholic father and a Chicana Pentecostal mother, knows the hold that religion has on gente and explores the idea of breaking free.
—Kamren Curiel, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2023
Known as the Pentecostal First Lady to her church's congregation, Mary and her over-the-top outfits have been the subject of many a Watch What Happens Live conversation.
—Sarah Felbin, Women's Health, 5 Sep. 2023
Multiple churches including the town’s Catholic Church, the Salvation Army Church and the Pentecostal Church, as well as the local Christian colony, were also vandalized and set on fire, Talib told CNN.
—Sophia Saifi, CNN, 16 Aug. 2023
Reginald served on and off as a preacher at Church of God in Christ, the Pentecostal community.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2023
The country has long been a Catholic stronghold, but evangelicals have made tremendous inroads in recent decades, particularly Pentecostals.
—Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 22 July 2023
Her speech in Malawi was attended by the country’s president, a former leader of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God movement.
—Time, 3 July 2023
Her speech in Malawi was attended by the country's president, a former leader of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God movement.
—Cara Anna, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Pentecostal.' 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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Dictionary Entries Near Pentecostal
Cite this Entry
“Pentecostal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Pentecostal. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.
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