denomination

noun

de·​nom·​i·​na·​tion di-ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: an act of denominating

the denomination of prices in U.S. dollars

2

: a value or size of a series of values or sizes

metric denominations

especially : the value of a particular coin or bill

bills in $20 and $50 denominations

3

: name, designation

especially : a general name for a category

listed under the general denomination of gifts

4

: a religious organization whose congregations are united in their adherence to its beliefs and practices

people from several different Christian denominations

denominational

di-ˌnä-mə-ˈnā-sh(ə-)nəl 

adjective

denominationally adverb

Synonyms

• appellation
• appellative
• cognomen
• compellation
• denotation
• designation
• handle
• moniker
• monicker
• name
• nomenclature
• title

Examples of denomination in a Sentence

People from several different religious denominations participated in the event.

Methodists, Baptists, and other Christian denominations.

It's one of the more conservative denominations.

The kidnappers asked for bills in small denominations.

The gift certificates are available in $5 and $10 denominations.

She spoke with people of many different political denominations.

Recent Examples on the Web

Watch on Deadline The U.S. maintained an even larger system of Indian boarding schools than Canada, most of them run by Christian denominations, where abuse of children also flourished. —Matthew Carey, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2024

This was driven largely by liberal Christian denominations and the work of Christian theologians, particularly Paul Tillich and Reinhold Niebuhr. —Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 27 Oct. 2024

The Southern Baptist Convention is the nation's largest Protestant denomination and remains one of the most influential groups in American Christianity. —Melissa Brown, USA TODAY, 23 July 2024

Mormon support for the Republican ticket overall dropped from 80% in 2004 to 61% in 2016, while most other Christian denominations moved further to the Right. —Annabella Rosciglione, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see denominate

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

denomination

noun

de·​nom·​i·​na·​tion di-ˌnäm-ə-ˈnā-shən 

1

: an act of denominating

2

: one of a series of related values each having a special name

a $5 bill represents one denomination of U.S. money

3

: name entry 1 sense 1, designation

especially : a general name for a class of things

4

: a religious body made up of a number of congregations with similar beliefs

denominational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective