Mennonites

Cultural  

1. A Protestant denomination, founded in the early days of the Reformation, whose members believe in living with great simplicity and who refuse to hold public office or to serve in the military. Some are as strict as the Amish in rejecting modern conveniences, such as automobiles and radios. There are numerous Mennonite communities in Pennsylvania and the Middle West.

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Example Sentences

Historically, Mennonites faced persecution in other countries, making them leery of interacting with authorities, Holbrooks said.

From Salon • Aug. 26, 2025

Ms Friesen noted that Canada has a higher concentration of conservative Low German-speaking Mennonites than the US, which may be a factor behind the higher number of cases.

From BBC • Jul. 20, 2025

An estimated 30,000 people of Doukhobor descent reside in Canada, and for decades they lived ascetic, communal lives reminiscent of the Quakers or Mennonites, though suffused with Russian culture and traditions.

From New York Times • Jun. 4, 2023

If your impression of Mennonites conjures pacifism and bonnets, Toews’ revelations about the still-populous fundamentalist contingents will jolt you.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2023

It will readily be conceived that under such a system of administration, and, above all, with their simple habits, their sobriety and industry, these Mennonites must naturally have outstripped the other colonists in prosperity.

From Travels in the Steppes of the Caspian Sea, the Crimea, the Caucasus, &c. by Hell, Xavier Hommaire de