protestant

1 of 2

noun

prot·​es·​tant ˈprä-tə-stənt How to pronounce protestant (audio)
sense 2 is also
prə-ˈte- How to pronounce protestant (audio)
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 noun

protestant

2 of 2

adjective

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 outTime

Examples of protestant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Jane was a devout Protestant at a time of religious upheaval, the ultimate innocent victim of the chicanery of the Tudor court in the chaotic aftermath of Henry VIII’s reign. Pan Pylas, Chicago Tribune, 9 Mar. 2025 Of those, 29% identify as Catholic and 25% as Evangelical Protestant. Tasha Tsiaperas, Axios, 4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
The area has a large population of Mennonites, a Christian religious-cultural group established during the protestant reform. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2025 Ukrainian protestant pastors have volunteered widely as military chaplains during the war, Liudmyla Filipovych, a Ukrainian scholar of religion, said in an interview. Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 6 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for protestant

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of protestant was in 1539

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Protestant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/protestant. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

protestant

noun
prot·​es·​tant
ˈprät-əs-tənt,
 sense 2 is also  prə-ˈtes-
1
capitalized : a member of one of several Christian churches that separated from the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century or of a church founded by members of these churches
2
: one who protests
protestant adjective often capitalized
Protestantism
ˈprät-əs-tənt-ˌiz-əm
noun

Legal Definition

protestant

noun
pro·​tes·​tant prə-ˈtes-tənt How to pronounce protestant (audio)
: a person challenging an action of an administrative agency

More from Merriam-Webster on protestant

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