Protestant

[ prot-uh-stuhnt or, for 4, 6, pruh-tes-tuhnt ]

noun

any Western Christian who is not an adherent of a Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Church.
an adherent of any of those Christian bodies that separated from the Church of Rome during the Reformation, or of any group descended from them, usually excluding the Anabaptists.

(originally) any of the German princes who protested against the decision of the Diet of Speyer in 1529, which had denounced the Reformation.
protestant, a person who protests.

adjective

belonging or relating to Protestants or their religion.
protestant. protesting.

Origin of Protestant

First recorded in 1530–40; from French or German, from Latin prōtestantēs “bearing public witness,” plural of present participle of prōtestārī “to bear public witness”; see protest

Other words from Protestant

an·ti-Prot·es·tant, adjective, noun
non-Prot·es·tant, adjective, noun
pro-Prot·es·tant, adjective, noun
un·prot·es·tant, adjective

Words Nearby Protestant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Protestant in a sentence

There were a few German Americans, a few Jews, and just five white Protestant aldermen.
When New York City Hit Its Stride | Allen Barra | July 17, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The Protestant-run Bethany Home was set up in Dublin in 1921 and closed in 1972.
Ireland’s ‘Mother and Baby Home’ Horror Goes Beyond Tuam’s Dead Infants | Patsy McGarry | June 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
And mainline Protestant denominations find themselves shrinking.
Is American Christianity Becoming a Workout Cult? | Michael Schulson | April 27, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Mainline Protestant denominations are in marked decline and Evangelical Christianity is in slow retrograde.
Demographics Or Destiny in 2016 | Lloyd Green | March 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
I am a white evangelical Protestant, or at least I was until persuaded to leave a couple of years ago.
2013 Was a Terrible Year for Evolution | Karl W. Giberson | January 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

Hugh Brady, appointed by patent in 1563, was a purely Protestant bishop.
Ireland Under the Tudors, Vol. II (of 3) | Richard Bagwell
So, as he tells us, did one more Protestant pass over to the worship of Lucifer.
Devil-Worship in France | Arthur Edward Waite
Sometimes Mazzini speaks as if he accepted the whole Protestant doctrine of individual judgment, and in a sense he does.
The Life of Mazzini | Bolton King
It was a virtuous deed to slaughter Protestant men and women until they were all exterminated.
Is Ulster Right? | Anonymous
But the new Protestant teachers were much more enthusiastic about the Bible.
Stories That Words Tell Us | Elizabeth O'Neill

British Dictionary definitions for Protestant

Protestant

/ (ˈprɒtɪstənt) /

noun

- an adherent of Protestantism
- (as modifier): the Protestant Church

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Protestant

Protestant

A Christian belonging to one of the three great divisions of Christianity (the other two are the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church). Protestantism began during the Renaissance as a protest against the established (Roman Catholic) church (see also established church). That protest, led by Martin Luther, was called the Reformation, because it sprang from a desire to reform the church and cleanse it of corruption, such as the selling of indulgences.

Notes for Protestant

Protestants hold a great variety of beliefs, but they are united in rejecting the authority of the pope. Protestant groups include the Amish, the Anglican Communion, the Assemblies of God, the Baptists, Christian Science, the Congregationalists, the Lutheran Church, the Mennonites, the Methodists, the Presbyterian Church, and the Quakers.

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