evangelical

play

adjective evan·gel·i·cal \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-kəl, ˌe-vən-\

variants: or less commonly

evangelic

play \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-lik, ˌe-vən-\

Definition of evangelical

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
4a capitalized : of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germanyb often capitalized : of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism : fundamentalistc often capitalized : low church
5 : marked by militant or crusading zeal : evangelistic the evangelical ardor of the movement's leaders — Amos Vogel

Evangelicalism

play \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-kə-ˌli-zəm, ˌe-vən-\ noun

evangelically

play \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-k(ə-)lē, ˌe-vən-\ adverb

See evangelical defined for English-language learners

See evangelical defined for kids

Examples of evangelical in a Sentence

She is an evangelical Christian.
He spoke about the project with evangelical zeal.

Recent Examples of evangelical from the Web

Evangelical churches might feel pressure to liberalize in order to appeal to younger Evangelicals.

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "For Evangelicals, the Marriage Debate Is Just Beginning," 20 July 2017
The Washington Post's Cleve Wootson reports that a photo featuring evangelical Christians laying their hands on the president and praying has received criticism from anti-Trump members of the faith.

— dan sweeney, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Collusion country," 17 July 2017
Moore has universal name ID and a hardcore conservative evangelical following.

— ed kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Will Trump Jump Into Alabama’s Crazy Senate Primary?," 10 July 2017
Prosecutors said in the complaint that Hobby Lobby, whose evangelical Christian owners have long maintained an interest in the biblical Middle East, began in 2009 to assemble a collection of cultural artifacts from the Fertile Crescent.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "The Most Interesting Story of the Day Has Nothing to Do with Trump," 6 July 2017
Prosecutors said in the complaint that Hobby Lobby, whose evangelical Christian owners have long maintained an interest in the biblical Middle East, began in 2009 to assemble a collection of cultural artifacts from the Fertile Crescent.

— the new york times, NOLA.com, "Hobby Lobby agrees to forfeit 5,500 artifacts smuggled out of Iraq," 5 July 2017
That team, led by New York lawyer Marc Kasowitz, now includes constitutional lawyer and evangelical radio talk show host Jay Sekulow, Washington lawyer John Dowd, and Michael Bowe, a partner at Kasowitz’s firm.

— karen freifeld, The Christian Science Monitor, "Trump considers lawyer for White House Russia role, sources say," 3 July 2017
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) — President Donald Trump will make remarks honoring veterans at a Kennedy Center event hosted by an evangelical megachurch.

— catherine lucey, The Seattle Times, "Trump to honor veterans at Kennedy Center event," 1 July 2017
The convention brings together leaders and members to discuss events and trends occurring within the evangelical denomination's churches nationwide.

— lihle mtshali, Essence.com, "Yes, The Southern Baptist Convention Initially Refused To Condemn White Supremacy," 17 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'evangelical.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of evangelical

1531

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

evangelical

noun, often capitalized evan·gel·i·cal

Definition of evangelical

: one holding evangelical principles or belonging to an evangelical party or church

Recent Examples of evangelical from the Web

Converts to Orthodoxy come from many backgrounds: former Evangelicals in search of historicity, analytical Christians seeking something more hands-on, weekend churchgoers in search of fuller, more regular engagement.

— jonathan m. pitts, baltimoresun.com, "Conversions gradually transforming Orthodox Christianity," 24 June 2017
Trump won the support of 80 percent of evangelicals, according to exit polls — the highest percentage for a presidential candidate on record.

— nicholas riccardi and kristen wyatt, chicagotribune.com, "Pence visits Focus on Family amid change for religious right," 23 June 2017
Sure, there are certainly some evangelicals who will seek out anti-inclusive attractions — the same way some people sought such places when segregation ended.

— scott maxwell, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Boycott the Sentinel? I was embarrassed by this column ... and by the reaction," 17 June 2017
That same study said that more than half of millennial evangelicals say homosexuality should be accepted by society.

— danika worthington, The Denver Post, "Paula Williams: From a megachurch pulpit to the curb in just seven days," 11 June 2017
Aljouny admits that beyond tech evangelicals, there might be more work to convince others to jump on board.

— jon jensen and tom page, CNN, "No address, no problem: Fetchr aims to put GPS deliveries on the map," 8 June 2017
The streets around CenturyLink Field were full of apocalyptic evangelicals on Sunday night as thousands of U2 fans passed by them and entered the stadium.

— david greenwald | the oregonian/oregonlive, OregonLive.com, "Live review: U2 takes on 'The Joshua Tree' and Trump in Seattle," 15 May 2017
The beliefs of some evangelicals connecting wealth to God’s favor became intertwined with faith healing, and both rose to new heights in the television era on the backs of men like Oral Roberts.

— vann r. newkirk ii, The Atlantic, "The American Health Care Act's Prosperity Gospel," 5 May 2017
Hostile to environmentalism ever since, evangelicals cast even the solid science on global warming as a conspiracy against freedom and faith promulgated in schools and universities.

— ben rosen, The Christian Science Monitor, "Could making climate change a 'pro-life' issue bring conservatives on board?," 2 May 2017

First Known Use of evangelical

1532

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

EVANGELICAL Defined for English Language Learners

evangelical

play

adjective

Definition of evangelical for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a Christian sect or group that stresses the authority of the Bible, the importance of believing that Jesus Christ saved you personally from sin or hell, and the preaching of these beliefs to other people
: having or showing very strong and enthusiastic feelings