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

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

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

often capitalized

: 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 vast majority of evangelical Christians, who number about a quarter of adults in the U.S., oppose the idea of female pastors. —Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 12 June 2024

This conflict feels different for Israel support even among evangelical circles, Hummel says. —Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 26 May 2024

Noun

After evangelicals embraced Trump, something odd happened. —Shadi Hamid, Washington Post, 17 June 2024

And put aside the fact that IVF is hugely popular across party lines and even among evangelicals. —S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 13 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1531, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1532, in the meaning defined above

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