protestant

noun prot·es·tant \ ˈprä-tə-stənt , sense 2 is also prə-ˈte- \

Updated on: 7 Apr 2018

Definition of protestant

1 Protestant

a : any of a group of German princes and cities presenting a defense of freedom of conscience against an edict of the Diet of Speyer in 1529 intended to suppress the Lutheran movement

b : a member of any of several church denominations denying the universal authority of the Pope and affirming the Reformation principles of justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all believers, and the primacy of the Bible as the only source of revealed truth; broadly : a Christian not of a Catholic or Eastern church

2 : one who makes or enters a protest

—

Protestantism

play \ˈprä-tə-stən-ˌti-zəm\ noun

See protestant defined for kids

Recent Examples of protestant from the Web

Sovereign Grace is a massive protestant network with 70 churches in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia.

— Fox News, "Man acquitted in Kate Steinle death fights federal charges," 16 Mar. 2018
Her husband, Ewan MacDonald, had struggled for some time to find work as a protestant minister.

— brigit katz, Smithsonian, "L.M. Montgomery’s Ontario Home Will Open As a Museum," 17 Mar. 2017
That’s a line that the Catholic Church and some of the biggest protestant denominations are also keen to stress.

— billy perrigo, Time, "How the World Is Marking the 500th Birthday of Protestantism," 27 Oct. 2017
These are songs of giving, true protestant hymns speaking to the emptiness in man, protesting alienation in a very Christian way.

— ralph j. gleason, San Francisco Chronicle, "Soul sounds and rugged rock in ‘Big Pink,’ Ralph J. Gleason, 1968," 26 Oct. 2017
His subdivision was plotted in 1873 and by the 1880s families were meeting in various homes as various protestant denominations.

— Cincinnati.com, "Column: History of Church of the Resurrection in Fernbank," 2 Aug. 2017
There were not enough Protestants of any of the non-Catholic denominations to afford the building of a church.

— adele foster, NOLA.com, "Mandeville Bible Church, established in 1876, breathes history on Carroll Street," 16 July 2017
Should this state, this city, this town, this neighborhood, even this street reflect the culture, values, interests, and desires of Protestants or Catholics?

— jonathan s. blake, The Atlantic, "What a Protestant Parade Reveals About Theresa May's New Partners," 11 July 2017
After Brown v. the Board of Education forced public schools to integrate in 1954, white Christians—even protestants—flocked to Catholic schools like Keough.

— steven thrasher, Esquire, "What Netflix's True-Crime Series The Keepers Says About White Power in America," 15 June 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of protestant

Middle French, from Latin protestant-, protestans, present participle of protestari

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1539

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

Other Christian Religious Terms

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

protestant

adjective

Definition of protestant

1 capitalized : of or relating to Protestants, their churches, or their religion

2 : making or sounding a protest

the two protestant ladies up and marched out
—Time

Recent Examples of protestant from the Web

Under Caldwell's leadership starting in 1982, Windsor Village church grew from 25 members to more than 16,000, and is one of the largest protestant churches in the nation, according to the church website.

— samantha ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "Megachurch pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell denies claims of cheating investors," 30 Mar. 2018
The couple, originally from North Carolina, had lived for 23 years in Turkey’s third largest city, where Andrew was the pastor of the Izmir Resurrection Church, a small protestant congregation of about 25.

— joshua keating, Slate Magazine, "How an American pastor, improbably accused of terrorism, became a pawn in U.S.-Turkey relations.," 15 May 2017
In the '70s and '80s, polos were peak WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) cool, a foundation of fashion designer Ralph Lauren’s style empire.

— jared michael lowe, Teen Vogue, "How Polo Shirts Became a White Supremacist Uniform," 29 Aug. 2017
International students’ attendance at the college was part of a larger effort at religious and imperial expansion as many of these students were brought to the college by American Protestant missionaries overseas.

— leila mcneill, Smithsonian, "This 19th Century Lady Doctor Helped Usher Indian Women Into Medicine," 24 Aug. 2017
Moore’s brother, John, became a naval chaplain; her longer poems’ resemblance to sermons echoes John’s, and Mary’s, Protestant piety.

— stephen burt, New York Times, "Marianne Moore’s Poetry, the Way She Intended It," 11 Aug. 2017
PRRI, for example, asks those surveyed to self-identify by race (e.g., white), by religion (e.g. Protestant Christian), and then as Evangelical or born-again, if applicable.

— jeff cimmino, National Review, "For Evangelicals, the Marriage Debate Is Just Beginning," 20 July 2017
Henry was the first student of Foreign Mission School in Cornwall and the inspiration for the Protestant missions to Hawaii.

— Courant Community, "Community News For The Colchester Edition," 17 July 2017
Aside from his creative dreams, Will also comes to town with a secret mission, carrying a clandestine message for his cousin, a leader to Catholics subjected to persecution by England's Protestant government.

— brian lowry, CNN, "'Will' puts fresh spin on young Shakespeare saga," 10 July 2017

First Known Use of protestant

1539

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

PROTESTANT Defined for Kids

Protestant

noun Prot·es·tant \ ˈprä-tə-stənt \

Definition of Protestant for Students

: a member of one of the Christian churches that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century

Protestant

adjective

Definition of Protestant for Students

: of or relating to Protestants

Law Dictionary

protestant

noun pro·tes·tant \ prə-ˈtes-tənt \

legal Definition of protestant

: a person challenging an action of an administrative agency

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protestant

Definition of protestant

Protestantism

Recent Examples of protestant from the Web

Origin and Etymology of protestant

Other Christian Religious Terms

protestant

Definition of protestant

Recent Examples of protestant from the Web

First Known Use of protestant

Other Christian Religious Terms

PROTESTANT Defined for Kids

Protestant

Definition of Protestant for Students

Protestant

Definition of Protestant for Students

Law Dictionary

protestant

legal Definition of protestant

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