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

Evangelical : of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany

b

often Evangelical : of, adhering to, or marked by fundamentalism : fundamentalist

c

often Evangelical : 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

variants often Evangelical

: 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

The French co-production follows two evangelical parents who are suspected of child abuse and become the subject of an investigation. — Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026

But Hahn, who rediscovered her own evangelical Christian roots decades after PTL, said her opinion changed later after a deeper viewing of the show and of Bakker’s preaching about the End Times. — Tim Funk, Charlotte Observer, 6 Oct. 2026

Noun

The accusation tapped into Catholics’ fears over losing ground to evangelicals and could weaken the presidential bid of Bolsonaro, who is evangelical. — ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026

Lewis family statement supports Gerwig’s work Many evangelicals did embrace the early 2000s movies based on the first three Narnia books, with actor Liam Neeson providing the deep, masculine voice of Aslan. — Peter Smith, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026

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