Mennonite

American  

[men-uh-nahyt] / ˈmɛn əˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a member of an evangelical Protestant sect, originating in Europe in the 16th century, that opposes infant baptism, practices baptism of believers only, restricts marriage to members of the denomination, opposes war and bearing arms, and is noted for simplicity of living and plain dress.

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Mennonite British  

/ ˈmɛnəˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a member of a Protestant sect that rejects infant baptism, Church organization, and the doctrine of transubstantiation and in most cases refuses military service, public office, and the taking of oaths

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Other Word Forms

• Mennonitism
  noun

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Etymology

Origin of Mennonite

1555–65; < German Mennonit; named after Menno Simons (1492–1559), Frisian religious leader; see -ite ¹

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Compare meaning

How does mennonite compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Amish vs. Mennonite

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Mennonite

Elmira was a strongly religious Mennonite farming town.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Periodically, the soft-spoken and generous man flies his Cessna into town to scavenge soda pop for a dozen or so cherubic Mennonite children on a nearby homestead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

It spread to Mexico when an unvaccinated Mennonite child returned home after visiting family in Seminole.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2025

Mr Holbrooks remembers when the Low German Mennonite group began immigrating to his hometown and nearby states in the 1970s.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2025

The new people were something else before they were white—Catholic, Corsican, Welsh, Mennonite, Jewish—and if all our national hopes have any fulfillment, then they will have to be something else again.

From "Between the World and Me" by Ta-Nehisi Coates

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