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 conservative evangelical Awaken Church was holding its first service in the city as part of a long effort to establish a church there, and some residents were protesting. —Maura Fox, The Mercury News, 16 Dec. 2024

The Republican Party and Trump himself have spent the past several years pushing an increasingly anti-trans agenda, in what some experts have described as an ongoing ploy to lock up the evangelical vote. —Samantha Riedel, Them, 13 Dec. 2024

Noun

White American evangelicals continue to shape U.S. policy by using strict interpretations of the Bible as a guide, and Yale Divinity professor Yii-Jan Lin argues this has always been the case around immigration. —Russell Contreras, Axios, 12 Dec. 2024

Sheehy has since adopted a more conservative, combative identity, in keeping with Trump and the evangelicals in Montana’s Republican Party. —E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 20 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

circa 1527, 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