evangelical

1 of 2

adjective

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

: protestant

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

Evangelicalism

ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-kə-ˌli-zəm 

ˌe-vən-

noun

evangelically

ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-k(ə-)lē 

ˌe-vən-

adverb

evangelical

2 of 2

noun

often 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 Web

Adjective

What truly reshaped my thinking was hearing personal stories from pro-life evangelical women who have had abortions. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025

Wilson grew up in the town, where his father was an evangelical minister. —Samuel Perry, The Conversation, 20 June 2025

Noun

Navigator Research’s post-Dobbs survey revealed further complexity: approximately 44% of evangelicals now identify as pro-choice, compared to 51% who identify as pro-life. —Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 27 June 2025

According to the Associated Press, roughly eight in 10 white evangelicals supported him in 2020 and 2024. —Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1527, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1532, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for evangelical

• helical
• pellicle

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