Lutheran

American  

[loo-ther-uhn] / ˈlu θər ən /

adjective

1. of or relating to Luther, adhering to his doctrines, or belonging to one of the Protestant churches that bear his name.

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noun

• Lutherans
  plural

1. a follower of Luther or an adherent of his doctrines; a member of the Lutheran Church.

Lutheran British  

/ ˈluːθərən /

noun

1. a follower of Martin Luther or a member of a Lutheran Church

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adjective

1. of or relating to Luther or his doctrines, the most important being justification by faith alone, consubstantiation, and the authority of the Bible

2. of or denoting any Protestant Church that follows Luther's doctrines

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Lutheranism
  noun
• Lutherism
  noun
• non-Lutheran
  adjective
• pre-Lutheran
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Lutherans
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Lutheran

First recorded in 1515–25; Luther + -an

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Lutheran Lutherans

In 2021, the Lutheran Church of Sweden apologised for centuries of "severe violations of human dignity" against the Sami people.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

Orange Lutheran gains 6-5 tight end Hudson Ploog and linebacker Jamaal Fay, who started for two years at Leuzinger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

Monarchs have three straight wins, including at Sierra Canyon, since a 19-12 loss to Orange Lutheran.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Orange Lutheran, which is 3-1 after shutting out Gardena Serra 35-0, is next playing Sierra Canyon, where former teammate and senior defensive lineman Marcus Fakatou now plies his trade.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

But it wasn’t just in his willingness to accept the Copernican model that Kepler deviated from the strict Lutheran teaching of his time.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Francis worked with Anglicans, Lutherans and Methodists and persuaded the Israeli and Palestinian presidents to join him to pray for peace.

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2025

My mother, raised Southern Baptist, was clear that we attended the only Lutheran church for miles because the Lutherans weren’t mean.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024

The campaign is staking much of its future on Iowa, where conservative evangelicals, Catholics and Lutherans make up much of the voting base.

From Reuters ● Sep. 25, 2023

As German Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists fought one another, other European countries entered the fray.

From Textbooks ● Dec. 14, 2022

I figured he’d fume more about me playing than the Lutherans.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson