evan·gel·i·cal
ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-kəl 
ˌe-vən-
variants
or less commonly evangelic
ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-lik
ˌe-vən-
1
: of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels
2
3
: emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual
4
a
capitalized
: of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany
b
often capitalized
: of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism : fundamentalist
c
often capitalized
: low church
5
: marked by militant or crusading zeal : evangelistic
the evangelical ardor of the movement's leaders—
Amos Vogel
Amos Vogeloften capitalized
: one holding evangelical principles or belonging to an evangelical party or church
Examples of evangelical in a Sentence
Adjective
She is an evangelical Christian.
He spoke about the project with evangelical zeal.
Recent Examples on the WebRebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
But this new theology of inclusion and universalism marked his downfall within the evangelical mainstream.
—Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2023
Tony throwing food across the table at Janice's (Aida Turturro) narcoleptic boyfriend Aaron (Turk Pipkin) — whose evangelical beliefs inspire the episode's title.
—Shay Spence, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
That support carried into his 2020 re-election bid, where 76% of White evangelical Christians supported Trump, according to Washington Post exit polls.
—Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2023
Turnout among other groups of interest -- women, young adults, evangelical white Christians, racial and ethnic minorities -- was roughly on par with past results, though women turned out 5% more compared with 2022, but even with their 2020 turnout level.
—Christine Filer, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2023
The necessarily schismatic nature of the civil-rights movement, encompassing godless socialists as well as evangelical Christians, was exactly the right place for someone with a Friends background to flourish.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
But as your poll pointed out, the fact that he's been leaning into his faith, trying to win over evangelical voters.
—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2023
But supporters of DeSantis in the faith community point to Vander Plaats' audience and influence to argue that his endorsement, as well as the endorsement from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, will help DeSantis make inroads with evangelical Christian voters in Iowa who have stuck with Trump since 2016.
—Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2023
Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
Of course, evangelicals, for whom Trump is still the top pick, were probably more likely not to be watching that debate.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 15 Nov. 2023
As the historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez has chronicled, twentieth-century white evangelicals developed a conception of Christian masculinity that embraced militarism, pugnacity, and John Wayne.
—Charles McCrary, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023
His election is an emblem of the rise to power of the alliance between Trump and conservative, white evangelicals which dominates today’s GOP.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023
But if Congress can’t deliver for white evangelicals, Trump could.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023
Another plus: his appeal to evangelicals as someone who frequently prays in public and started a church in his basement.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
Black evangelicals and white evangelicals share theological beliefs but diverge on their partisan affiliations.
—Michael Luo, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Monthslong protests led by Christian evangelicals galvanized a conservative pushback against Ms. Park’s progressive successor, Moon Jae-in, and helped Mr. Yoon win election as a conservative candidate in 2022.
—Choe Sang-Hun Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
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Adjective
Other Candidates Ron DeSantis: The influential Iowa evangelical leader Bob Vander Plaats endorsed the Florida governor for the Republican presidential nomination.
—Rebecca Davis O’Brien, New York Times, 24 Nov. 2023
But this new theology of inclusion and universalism marked his downfall within the evangelical mainstream.
—Meagan Jordan, Rolling Stone, 23 Nov. 2023
Tony throwing food across the table at Janice's (Aida Turturro) narcoleptic boyfriend Aaron (Turk Pipkin) — whose evangelical beliefs inspire the episode's title.
—Shay Spence, Peoplemag, 22 Nov. 2023
That support carried into his 2020 re-election bid, where 76% of White evangelical Christians supported Trump, according to Washington Post exit polls.
—Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 16 Nov. 2023
Turnout among other groups of interest -- women, young adults, evangelical white Christians, racial and ethnic minorities -- was roughly on par with past results, though women turned out 5% more compared with 2022, but even with their 2020 turnout level.
—Christine Filer, ABC News, 7 Nov. 2023
The necessarily schismatic nature of the civil-rights movement, encompassing godless socialists as well as evangelical Christians, was exactly the right place for someone with a Friends background to flourish.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2023
But as your poll pointed out, the fact that he's been leaning into his faith, trying to win over evangelical voters.
—Nbc Universal, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2023
But supporters of DeSantis in the faith community point to Vander Plaats' audience and influence to argue that his endorsement, as well as the endorsement from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, will help DeSantis make inroads with evangelical Christian voters in Iowa who have stuck with Trump since 2016.
—Aaron Navarro, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2023
Noun
Jack Sara, president of Bethlehem Bible College, pointed to how the plight of Palestinian Christians doesn’t seem to be heard by many U.S. evangelicals, who see in muscular Jewish supremacy over the Holy Land a pathway for their own messianic vision.
—Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 29 Nov. 2023
Of course, evangelicals, for whom Trump is still the top pick, were probably more likely not to be watching that debate.
—Nathaniel Rakich, ABC News, 15 Nov. 2023
As the historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez has chronicled, twentieth-century white evangelicals developed a conception of Christian masculinity that embraced militarism, pugnacity, and John Wayne.
—Charles McCrary, The New Republic, 3 Nov. 2023
His election is an emblem of the rise to power of the alliance between Trump and conservative, white evangelicals which dominates today’s GOP.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2023
But if Congress can’t deliver for white evangelicals, Trump could.
—Anita Chabria, Los Angeles Times, 8 Nov. 2023
Another plus: his appeal to evangelicals as someone who frequently prays in public and started a church in his basement.
—Laura Vozzella, Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2023
Black evangelicals and white evangelicals share theological beliefs but diverge on their partisan affiliations.
—Michael Luo, The New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2023
Monthslong protests led by Christian evangelicals galvanized a conservative pushback against Ms. Park’s progressive successor, Moon Jae-in, and helped Mr. Yoon win election as a conservative candidate in 2022.
—Choe Sang-Hun Chang W. Lee, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'evangelical.' 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
“Evangelical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/evangelical. Accessed 10 Dec. 2023.
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Kids Definition
evangelical
adjective
evan·gel·i·cal
ˌē-ˌvan-ˈjel-i-kəl,
ˌev-ən-
1
: of, relating to, or being in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as given in the four Gospels
2
: stressing salvation by faith in Jesus, the authority of the Bible, and the importance of preaching
More from Merriam-Webster on evangelical
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for evangelical
Nglish: Translation of evangelical for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of evangelical for Arabic Speakers
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