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

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

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

Etymology

Origin of evangelical

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

Example Sentences

An evangelical Christian, Huckabee first visited Israel more than 50 years ago at 17 and was immediately taken with what he saw as a pioneering, scrappy democracy fighting for independence like early America.

From The Wall Street Journal

While most of its donors aren’t disclosed, records show the Servant Foundation, a philanthropy linked to the evangelical family that founded Hobby Lobby, has donated tens of millions of dollars.

From The Wall Street Journal

It has also helped prevent the encroachment of evangelical Christianity seen in many other parts of Latin America, with few here willing to give up their devotion to the “Virgencita,” as Guadalupe is widely known.

From Los Angeles Times

A study released earlier this year by a coalition of evangelical and Catholic groups found that 61% of immigrants at risk of deportation in this country identify as Catholic, while nearly one-fifth of U.S.

From Los Angeles Times

Baumgartner is the founder and executive director of A Moment of Hope, an evangelical Christian “sidewalk ministry” located in the clinic’s parking lot that aims to counsel people against abortion and offer resources.

From Salon

Related Words

• pious
• religious