protestant

1 of 3

noun (1)

prot·​es·​tant ˈprä-tə-stənt 

sense 2 is also

prə-ˈte- 

1

Protestant

a

: any of a group of German princes and cities presenting a defense of freedom of conscience against an edict of the Diet of Speyer in 1529 intended to suppress the Lutheran movement

b

: a member of any of several church denominations denying the universal authority of the Pope and affirming the Reformation principles of justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all believers, and the primacy of the Bible as the only source of revealed truth

broadly : a Christian not of a Catholic or Eastern church

2

: one who makes or enters a protest

Protestantism

ˈprä-tə-stən-ˌti-zəm 

noun

protestant

2 of 3

adjective

1

Protestant : of or relating to Protestants, their churches, or their religion

2

: making or sounding a protest

The two protestant ladies up and marched out.

—Time

Protestantism

3 of 3

noun (2)

Prot·​es·​tant·​ism -n‧ˌtizəm 

plural -s

1

a

protestantism : the quality or state of being protestant

b

: Protestant principles or practice

distinguish classical from radical Protestantism

compare fundamentalism, liberalism, modernism

2

: the body of Protestant Christians

representatives of American Protestantism

Examples of protestant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Protestants welcomed the city’s first Catholic church, for example, and often sent their children to the Catholic parochial schools. —Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 8 June 2026

Republicans need strong turnout from evangelical Protestants and to get close to Trump’s support levels among Catholics in order to defend their narrow congressional majorities in November. —W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 19 Apr. 2026

Adjective

The issue is just one in a lineup of SBC statements that delegates of the nation’s largest Protestant denomination will consider on Wednesday, but among its most important. —Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 10 June 2026

By the mid-19th century, the city’s Catholics, while still a minority, were larger than any single Protestant denomination and central to the cultural landscape. —Matthew Smith, The Conversation, 8 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French, from Latin protestant-, protestans, present participle of protestari

Noun (2)

French protestantisme, from protestant + -isme -ism

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

protestant

noun

prot·​es·​tant

ˈprät-əs-tənt

sense 2 is also prə-ˈtes-

1

capitalized : a member of one of several Christian churches that separated from the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century or of a church founded by members of these churches

2

: one who protests

protestant adjective often capitalized

Protestantism

ˈprät-əs-tənt-ˌiz-əm

noun

Legal Definition

protestant

noun

pro·​tes·​tant prə-ˈtes-tənt 

: a person challenging an action of an administrative agency