evangelical

adjective

evan·gel·i·cal | \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-kəl,

ˌe-vən-\

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

ˌe-vən- \

Definition of evangelical

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 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

evangelical

noun, often capitalized

Definition of evangelical (Entry 2 of 2)

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

Other Words from evangelical More Example Sentences Learn More about evangelical

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Other Words from evangelical

Adjective

Evangelicalism \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-kə-ˌli-zəm,

ˌe-vən- \ noun

evangelically \ˌē-ˌvan-ˈje-li-k(ə-)lē,

ˌe-vən- \ adverb

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

For now, though, white evangelical voters are also emphasizing turnout. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "The GOP can’t rely on white evangelicals forever," 7 Nov. 2018 The Brunson case was especially important to evangelical voters, a central part of Mr. Trump’s political base. — Peter Nicholas, WSJ, "With Pastor Freed, Trump Looks to Reap Political Dividends," 16 Oct. 2018 Within the white evangelical world, at least, that answer is complicated. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Several white evangelical leaders reject anti-immigrant rhetoric. Why do their flocks embrace it?," 20 Nov. 2018 The white evangelical community views the Trump era as a fundamental realignment of American politics, with the Christian right reasserting itself after eight years of Barack Obama. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "White evangelicals turned out for the GOP in big numbers again," 7 Nov. 2018 Gays and lesbians fear evangelical social conservatism. — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, "Brazil Is Moving Its Embassy to Jerusalem," 5 Nov. 2018 According to The Nation, the anti-LGBTQ backlash in the country has followed an influx of evangelical activism in Africa by people from the United States. — Andrea Park, Teen Vogue, "Kim Kardashian West Had to Explain Her Job to the Controversial President of Uganda in a Meeting That Also Included Kanye," 16 Oct. 2018 This is the moment many within the evangelical community have been waiting for. — Eugene Scott, Washington Post, "Justice Kennedy’s retirement is what evangelicals were banking on with Trump," 28 June 2018 The evangelist Franklin Graham’s California rally last week in Fresno also exposed the underlying racial tension in the evangelical community, the three pastors said. — Elizabeth Dias, New York Times, "Is Trump Racist? Is There a Double Standard? California Pastors Debate.," 2 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Having weathered First Amendment battles with evangelicals at his previous post as director the Pikes Peak Library District in Colorado Springs, Colo., Mr. Margolis pushed back against blanket censorship and came up with a compromise. — J.m. Lawrence, BostonGlobe.com, "Bernard A. Margolis, former Boston Public Library president, dies at 69," 26 Apr. 2018 Liberals worry that evangelicals prefer strong leaders who will challenge democratic norms. — Walter Russell Mead, WSJ, "Brazil Is Moving Its Embassy to Jerusalem," 5 Nov. 2018 But there are other evangelicals who embrace the climate change modeling that is treated as gospel by most major scientific organizations. — NBC News, "Climate change schism: Evangelical Christians divided on human role in global warming," 22 Apr. 2018 Overall, white evangelicals remain the only religious demographic to support Trump’s presidency. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "The GOP can’t rely on white evangelicals forever," 7 Nov. 2018 Some of President Trump’s strongest support comes from evangelicals who believe their rights are under assault in modern American culture. — Cathy Young, BostonGlobe.com, "Is liberal democracy failing? No, it’s a victim of its own success," 8 July 2018 Some non-white evangelicals will welcome Graham’s religious message, but far fewer will pay attention to his paeans to the immigrant-bashing champion of white self-esteem in that very White House. — Ed Kilgore, Daily Intelligencer, "Franklin Graham Invades ‘Godless’ California," 28 May 2018 White’s language reflects a broader and deeply troubling trend on the part of white Christian evangelicals, a full 36 percent of whom support the family separation policy as of late June. — Tara Isabella Burton, Vox, "Top Trump evangelical ally: Jesus never broke immigration law," 11 July 2018 Griffith might also have discussed reported declines in overall numbers of evangelicals, in evangelical loyalty to the right, and in church attendance among evangelical as well as mainline Protestants. — Linda Gordon, The New Republic, "How birth-control leaders found allies in American religious groups," 5 Apr. 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.

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More Definitions for evangelical

evangelical

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of evangelical

: 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

See the full definition for evangelical in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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