Lutheran

American  

[loo-ther-uhn] / ˈlu θər ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Luther, adhering to his doctrines, or belonging to one of the Protestant churches that bear his name.

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noun

1. a follower of Luther or an adherent of his doctrines; a member of the Lutheran Church.

Lutheran British  

/ ˈluːθərən /

noun

1. a follower of Martin Luther or a member of a Lutheran Church

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adjective

1. of or relating to Luther or his doctrines, the most important being justification by faith alone, consubstantiation, and the authority of the Bible

2. of or denoting any Protestant Church that follows Luther's doctrines

Other Word Forms

• Lutheranism
  noun
• Lutherism
  noun
• non-Lutheran
  adjective
• pre-Lutheran
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Lutheran

First recorded in 1515–25; Luther + -an

Example Sentences

I grew up Missouri Synod Lutheran, went to a Lutheran elementary school, public, middle school and high school, but definitely the Bible and family worship were central to my upbringing.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Moved from the Lutheran Church to Presbyterianism, but still love Brother Martin the same.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026

Orange Lutheran 3, Servite 1: Sam Principe threw a complete game, giving up three hits for Orange Lutheran.

From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026

Orange Lutheran 3, Servite 0: Cooper Sides gave up three hits in six innings and Marcus Greis got the save.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 28, 2026

After the Reverend Glen Johnson from the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church gave the invocation and benediction, I was introduced.

From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez