Christian

¹ American  

[kris-chuhn] / ˈkrɪs tʃən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or derived from Jesus Christ or His teachings.

   a Christian faith.

2. of, pertaining to, believing in, or belonging to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

   Spain is a Christian country.

3. of or relating to Christians.

   many Christian deaths in the Crusades.

4. exhibiting a spirit proper to a follower of Jesus Christ; Christlike.

   She displayed true Christian charity.

5. Sometimes Offensive. decent; respectable.

   They gave him a good Christian burial.

6. Sometimes Offensive. human; not brutal; humane.

   Such behavior isn't Christian.

---

noun

1. a person who believes in Jesus Christ; adherent of Christianity.

2. a person who exemplifies in their life the teachings of Christ.

   He died like a true Christian.

3. a member of any of certain Protestant churches, as the Disciples of Christ and the Plymouth Brethren.

4. the hero of Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.

5. a male given name.

Christian ² American  

[kris-chuhn] / ˈkrɪs tʃən /

noun

1. Charlie, 1916–42, U.S. jazz guitarist.

---

Christian ¹ British  

/ ˈkrɪstʃən /

noun

1. 1. a person who believes in and follows Jesus Christ

   2. a member of a Christian Church or denomination

2. informal a person who possesses Christian virtues, esp practical ones

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or derived from Jesus Christ, his teachings, example, or his followers

2. (sometimes not capital) exhibiting kindness or goodness

Christian ² British  

/ ˈkrɪstʃən /

noun

1. Charlie. 1919–42, US jazz guitarist

---

Christian ¹ Cultural  

1. A follower or disciple of Jesus; someone who believes Jesus is the Christ or Messiah. The New Testament mentions that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians within a few years after his death.

---

Christian ² Cultural  

1. A follower of Jesus and his teachings. Christian is also a descriptive term for the institutions and practices of Christianity.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Christianly
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Christian

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin Chrīstiānus, from Greek Chrīstiānós, equivalent to Chrīst(ós) Christ + -iānos, from Latin -iānus -ian; replacing Middle English, Old English cristen from Latin, as above

Example Sentences

Published under the name Harriet Sanders, the NHS nurse penned a column in March 2024 on parenting for Christian magazine Woman Alive.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026

Catcher, Carson Sheffer, Oaks Christian, Sr.: The Oklahoma State commit batted .440 with 14 doubles and five home runs while also showing off strong defensive skills.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

Civil defence teams evacuated around 500 families from schools that had been converted into shelters and transferred them to the city's Christian quarter, which was not included in the warning, an AFP correspondent said.

From Barron's • Jun. 7, 2026

Rep. Christian Menefee, argued that blockchain technology can increase trust and transparency among the general public.

From Salon • Jun. 7, 2026

Europe was overwhelmingly Christian, and society structured itself around the belief that God’s rule over mankind was absolute, as was a king’s rule over his realm and a husband’s rule over his household.

From "The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science" by Joyce Sidman