Presbyterian

1 of 2

noun

Pres·​by·​te·​ri·​an ˌprez-bə-ˈtir-ē-ən 

ˌpres-

: a member of a Presbyterian church

Presbyterian

2 of 2

adjective

1

often presbyterian : characterized by a graded system of representative ecclesiastical bodies (such as presbyteries) exercising legislative and judicial powers

2

: of, relating to, or constituting a Protestant Christian church that is presbyterian in government and traditionally Calvinistic in doctrine

Presbyterianism

ˌprez-bə-ˈtir-ē-ə-ˌni-zəm 

ˌpres-

noun

Examples of Presbyterian in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

On Sunday, May 21, 1922, the First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan became the site of a fork in the river. — Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

McLean Presbyterian Church, where my wife and I attend, set up a program to assist Afghan refugees in the immediate aftermath of the American withdrawal in 2021. — Peter Wehner, The Atlantic, 10 June 2026

Adjective

Jane Ragsdale’s best friend Christine Chenoweth, a pastoral counselor and former Presbyterian minister, says the South Fork of the Guadalupe is now lousy and wrecked and haunted. — Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

The following year, in Logan County, in the southern part of the state, a Presbyterian minister named Barton Stone attended a revival meeting on the edge of a prairie. — Michael Luo, New Yorker, 14 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1606, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for Presbyterian

• assyrian
• counterion
• criterion
• hyperion
• iberian
• illyrian
• mousterian
• shakespearean
• shakespearian
• hanoverian
• virion

Kids Definition

Presbyterian

adjective

Pres·​by·​te·​ri·​an

ˌprez-bə-ˈtir-ē-ən, 

ˌpres-

1

often not capitalized : having a system of representative governing councils of ministers and elders

2

: of, relating to, or being a Protestant Christian church that is presbyterian in government

Presbyterian noun

Presbyterianism

-ē-ə-ˌniz-əm

noun