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• established church
  established church

  noun

  a church that is recognized by law, and sometimes financially supported, as the official church of a nation.
• Established Church
  Established Church

  noun

  a Church that is officially recognized as a national institution, esp the Church of England

established church

American  

noun

1. a church that is recognized by law, and sometimes financially supported, as the official church of a nation.

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Established Church British  

noun

1. a Church that is officially recognized as a national institution, esp the Church of England

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established church ¹ Cultural  

1. A church supported by the government as a national institution. The Church of England is an established church in England, as is the Lutheran Church in the countries of Scandinavia and the Presbyterian Church in Scotland.

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established church ² Cultural  

1. A religious denomination that receives financial and other support from the government, often to the exclusion of support for other denominations. (See under “World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion.”)

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Etymology

Origin of established church

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

established church Established Church

The Saints are not affiliated with an established church in Australia and count around two dozen members from three families among its members.

From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025

Before it was formed after the American Revolution, Anglicanism was the established church of the Virginia colony.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 14, 2022

“Cures and charms go way beyond the established church, it predates Christianity,” Dr. Moore said.

From New York Times ● Dec. 20, 2021

In Europe, bitter wars were fought between and within states, often because the established church of one territory was in conflict with that of another.

From Textbooks ● Jul. 28, 2021

Several clergymen of the established church prayed to be liberated from their obligation to subscribe to the "Thirty-nine Articles."

From Secret History of the Court of England, from the Accession of George the Third to the Death of George the Fourth, Volume I (of 2) Including, Among Other Important Matters, Full Particulars of the Mysterious Death of the Princess Charlotte by Lady Anne Hamilton

There he spoke his mind about the leaders of the Established Church of England in Manchester's Free Trade Hall.

From Time Magazine Archive

Living in a stratosphere of piety, Lord Hugh regards the Established Church as above and apart from England's Protestant sects.

From Time Magazine Archive

When romance conflicts with the canons of the Established Church, and with the Briton's inbred view of royalty, it is no easy role.

From Time Magazine Archive

With the spiritual might of the Established Church behind him, the Archbishop of Canterbury gave Pakenham's view his unqualified support.

From Time Magazine Archive

He enjoyed this title indeed for a time, in virtue of letters patent issued by the supreme head of the Established Church.

From Irish Ecclesiastical Record, Volume 1, May 1865 by