congregational
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a congregation.
congregational singing.
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(initial capital letter) pertaining or adhering to a form of Protestant church government in which each local church acts as an independent, self-governing body, while maintaining fellowship with like congregations.
adjective
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of or relating to a congregation
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(usually capital) of, relating to, or denoting the Congregational Church, its members, or its beliefs
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of congregational
First recorded in 1570–80; congregation + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Neither chatbots nor celebrities can replace the relational work of a pastor or the congregational nature of worship.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
"Each church body has its own safeguarding personnel employed who assist and advise the bishop or congregational leader on responding to survivors on an individual basis," they said.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
That devotion connected her to the earliest traditions of organized American music-making , the congregational singing in colonial churches that was served by the country’s first composers.
From New York Times • Jan. 10, 2024
Concerns for congregational safety were amplified in late August when three young, white men pastors did not recognize visited several Black churches in Buffalo during Sunday worship.
From Seattle Times • Oct. 31, 2023
Perhaps this perked up congregational interest, but we Price girls all listened with half an ear between us.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
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.
