evangelical

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

variants: or less commonly evangelic play \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-lik, ˌe-vən-\

|Updated on: 12 Jul 2018

Examples: evangelical in a Sentence

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

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

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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

But the Republican blockade helped solidify conservative and evangelical support for Mr. Trump during the election, as many rallied to the cause of having a Republican president fill the seat.

— CBS News, "Man on a mission: Mitch McConnell's effort to reshape the courts," 7 July 2018
Amy Coney Barrett, a committed Christian, is preferred by evangelical activists.

— joshua hafner, USA TODAY, "OnPolitics Today: Pruitt won't do it," 5 July 2018
Isaacs is a vice president of the evangelical Christian charity Samaritan’s Purse, which is led by Franklin Graham, the son of the late Rev. Billy Graham.

— nick cumming-bruce, BostonGlobe.com, "UN migrant agency sends Trump a message with choice of new leader," 29 June 2018
Isaacs, the vice president of the evangelical Christian non-profit Samaritan’s Purse, had faced criticism for derogatory statements about Islam that were discovered on his Twitter page.

— abigail simon, Time, "The United Nations Rejected President Trump's Pick for a Migration Group," 29 June 2018
Religious leaders, including some in the evangelical community at the core of Trump’s political base, condemned the administration’s actions.

— NBC News, "Why Trump was forced to back down on family separation policy," 20 June 2018
One was a Colorado Springs transplant whose evangelical family customarily refused her even basic medical care.

— sarah stankorb, Marie Claire, "The Daughters' Great Escape," 15 June 2018
Buchleiter knew her colleagues in the world of evangelical Christian ministry also would not understand.

— shari rudavsky, Indianapolis Star, "'Life-changing surgery': IU Health gender affirmation program one of few in Midwest," 9 June 2018
Now, religious leaders are also speaking out against it, including evangelical Christians, one of the President Donald Trump's main support blocks.

— rafael carranza, azcentral, "Religious groups push back against family separations at the border," 4 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Christian Religious Terms

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

evangelical

noun, often capitalized

Definition of evangelical

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

Recent Examples of evangelical from the Web

To shore up his standing with white evangelicals, the president released lists of potential nominees during the campaign, and has met at least seven people on those lists, though Mr Trump, an inveterate showman, may choose someone else entirely.

— The Economist, "A court with a solid conservative majority could reshape American life," 5 July 2018
This is a vindication for the 80 percent of evangelicals who supported Trump.

— Washington Post, "Evangelical leaders downplay potential Roe v. Wade reversal," 30 June 2018
Middle-class evangelicals, hoping to curb drinking and exert power over the lower class, drove the Maine effort.

— anna diamond, Smithsonian, "Do Marine Mammals Yawn and More Questions From Our Readers," 28 June 2018
By the next year, just 23 percent of adults overall agreed, and 31 percent of evangelicals.

— author: keith mcmillan, julie zauzmer, Anchorage Daily News, "Sessions says the Bible justifies separating immigrant families," 15 June 2018
The belief that God designed different, complementary roles for men and women is widespread among conservative evangelicals.

— sarah jones, The New Republic, "The Religious Right’s #MeToo Reckoning Is Coming," 30 May 2018
The pro-Trump evangelicals have already staked out a position: Nothing in Trump’s personal character or history matters compared with his advancement more generally of a Christianist agenda in the federal government and especially the judiciary.

— andrew sullivan, Daily Intelligencer, "Kanye West and the Question of Freedom," 11 May 2018
And the ChurchToo catastrophe within the conference—the biggest Protestant denomination in the country, making up the majority of evangelicals—has also forced a reckoning.

— virginia heffernan, WIRED, "ChurchToo and Mike Pence’s Crisis of Faith," 21 June 2018
By the next year, just 23 percent of adults overall agreed, and 31 percent of evangelicals.

— author: keith mcmillan, julie zauzmer, Anchorage Daily News, "Sessions says the Bible justifies separating immigrant families," 15 June 2018

First Known Use of evangelical

1532

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

Other Christian Religious Terms

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

EVANGELICAL Defined for English Language Learners

evangelical

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