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denominationalism

American  
[dih-nom-uh-ney-shuh-nl-iz-uhm] / dɪˌnɒm əˈneɪ ʃə nlˌɪz əm /

noun

  1. denominational or sectarian spirit or policy; the tendency to divide into denominations or sects.


denominationalism British  
/ dɪˌnɒmɪˈneɪʃənəˌlɪzəm /

noun

  1. adherence to particular principles, esp to the tenets of a religious denomination; sectarianism

  2. the tendency to divide or cause to divide into sects or denominations

  3. division into denominations

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of denominationalism

First recorded in 1850–55; denominational + -ism

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.

See Examples For:

Even before Jan. 6, some sociologists said the fastest-growing group of American Christians are those associated with independent “prophets” who largely operate outside denominationalism.

From Seattle Times Jul. 6, 2021

“Just as denominationalism doesn’t matter as much, evangelicalism doesn’t mean as much as it once did,” he said.

From Washington Post Jan. 12, 2017

Apman feels that most small-town ministers share his problem, and that the solution is to merge weak little churches into a few big ones, regardless of the cost in denominationalism.

From Time Magazine Archive

To avoid any hint of denominationalism, preaching ministers are introduced simply as "Brother."

From Time Magazine Archive

As we have seen, the same divergence of feeling arose in America, and Channing always strove to keep Unitarianism there from succumbing to denominationalism.

From Unitarianism by W.G. Tarrant

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