messianic
Britishadjective
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(sometimes capital) Bible
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of or relating to the Messiah, his awaited deliverance of the Jews, or the new age of peace expected to follow this
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of or relating to Jesus Christ or the salvation believed to have been brought by him
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of or relating to any popular leader promising deliverance or an ideal era of peace and prosperity
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of or relating to promises of this kind or to an ideal era of this kind
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Other Word Forms
- messianically adverb
- messianism noun
Explanation
Use the adjective messianic to describe something that has to do with a messiah, or savior, especially a religious one. In Judaism, a messianic figure is predicted to appear in the future, and in Christianity that messianic role is filled by Jesus Christ. You can also describe a more earthbound savior as messianic — you might say that after a long, hot soccer match, your mom's arrival with a cooler full of water bottles seems almost messianic. The adjective comes from the noun messiah, which has an Aramic root, meshiha, or "the anointed of the Lord."
Vocabulary lists containing messianic
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“He is a ghost leader, like the Hidden Iman,” Golkar said, referring to a messianic figure in Shia Islam.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
La Liga president Javier Tebas, who has been openly at odds with Perez for several years, criticised the "messianic, sectarian, supremacist" tone of the Madrid chief, in a post on X.
From Barron's • Nov. 23, 2025
Since “The Empire Strikes Back,” the movies have swung between messianic heroism and a more accommodating vision of how revolutions really happen.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 21, 2025
Will those messianic qualities distill into sage leadership?
From BBC • Mar. 6, 2025
Trueba realized that they had messianic plans that did not include the politicians.
From "The House of the Spirits: A Novel" by Isabel Allende
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
