evangelical

American  

[ee-van-jel-i-kuhl, ev-uhn-] / ˌi vænˈdʒɛl ɪ kəl, ˌɛv ən- /

adjective

1. Also evangelic. pertaining to or in keeping with the gospel and its teachings.

2. belonging to or designating the Christian churches that emphasize the teachings and authority of the Scriptures, especially of the New Testament, in opposition to the institutional authority of the church itself, and that stress as paramount the tenet that salvation is achieved by personal conversion to faith in the atonement of Christ.

3. designating Christians, especially of the late 1970s, eschewing the designation of fundamentalist but holding to a conservative interpretation of the Bible.

4. pertaining to certain movements in the Protestant churches in the 18th and 19th centuries that stressed the importance of personal experience of guilt for sin, and of reconciliation to God through Christ.

5. marked by ardent or zealous enthusiasm for a cause.

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noun

• evangelicals
  plural

1. an adherent of evangelical doctrines or a person who belongs to an evangelical church or party.

evangelical British  

/ ˌiːvænˈdʒɛlɪkəl /

adjective

1. of, based upon, or following from the Gospels

2. denoting or relating to any of certain Protestant sects or parties, which emphasize the importance of personal conversion and faith in atonement through the death of Christ as a means of salvation

3. another word for evangelistic

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noun

1. an upholder of evangelical doctrines or a member of an evangelical sect or party, esp the Low-Church party of the Church of England

evangelical Cultural  

1. A member of any of various Christian churches that believes in the sole authority of the literal Bible (see also Bible), a salvation (see also salvation) only through regeneration, or rebirth, and a spiritually transformed personal life.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• evangelicalism
  noun
• evangelicality
  noun
• evangelicalness
  noun
• nonevangelic
  adjective
• nonevangelical
  adjective
• pseudoevangelic
  adjective
• pseudoevangelical
  adjective
• superevangelical
  adjective
• unevangelic
  adjective
• unevangelical
  adjective
• evangelically
  adverb
• nonevangelically
  adverb
• pseudoevangelically
  adverb
• superevangelically
  adverb
• unevangelically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• evangelicals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of evangelical

1525–35; < Late Latin evangelicus (< Late Greek euangelikós; see evangel ¹, -ic) + -al ¹

Explanation

Evangelical is a word to describe anyone who is super enthusiastic about something. You might meet an evangelical Christian or an evangelical cheerleader, or even an evangelical Christian cheerleader. Evangelical is an adjective originally used to describe a relationship to a particular school of Protestantism. More generally, evangelical is used to describe a strict belief in the Christian gospel and an emphasis on personal conversion to Christianity. Outside of church, the adjective evangelical can describe someone who is an extremely enthusiastic or zealous about a particular cause. An evangelical supporter of something will speak passionately and try very hard to get you to convert to their cause.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

evangelical evangelicals

That this is a reflection of America is taken as a given, the same way “Love Is Blind” contestants don’t feel the need to mention their evangelical beliefs.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

Like many millennials, I grew up at the peak of the American abstinence education movement and the American evangelical obsession with virginity.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

Marcos Rosa, an evangelical pastor who spends his days visiting remote Amazonian villages, said PIX hasn’t only made payments easier but also shrunk distances across the world’s biggest rainforest.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

The Traitors star was 23 years old and travelling the world onboard a Christian evangelical missionary ship when he came out to his fellow church members.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Of a student body of 5,700, about 400 participate in one of three evangelical student groups—more than the number of active mainline Protestants, the campus chaplain says.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Kristin Kobes Du Mez, a Calvin University historian who writes about white evangelicals and gender, was not surprised.

From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026

He spends chapters meditating on trauma and fatherhood, on periods of feeling spiritually adrift, on coming to love a “majestic” faith tradition while remaining connected to the rowdy evangelicals of his childhood.

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2026

"More traditional members of the Church, including conservative evangelicals, many of whom represent quite large churches… became increasingly vocal about what they might do if the blessings went ahead without this full approval procedure."

From BBC ● Dec. 24, 2025

According to Pew Research Center polling conducted in March, 72% of white evangelicals have a favorable opinion of Israel, virtually equal to the approval rate among Jews, at 73%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025

Now a few affluent evangelicals are directing their attention and money at some of the tallest citadels of the secular elite: Ivy League universities.

From "Class Matters" by The New York Times

Related Words

• pious
• religious