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Synonyms

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. 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

"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

adjective

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

  2. (sometimes not capital) exhibiting kindness or goodness

"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
Christian 2 British  
/ ˈkrɪstʃən /

noun

  1. Charlie. 1919–42, US jazz guitarist

"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
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

  • 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

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.