Methodist

[ meth-uh-dist ]

/ ˈmɛθ ə dɪst /

noun

a member of the largest Christian denomination that grew out of the revival of religion led by John Wesley: stresses both personal and social morality and has an Arminian doctrine and, in the U.S., a modified episcopal polity.

(lowercase) a person who relies greatly or excessively on methods or a particular method.

adjective

Also Meth·od·is·tic, Meth·od·is·ti·cal. of or relating to the Methodists or Methodism.

Origin of Methodist

First recorded in 1585–95; method + -ist

Related forms

Meth·od·is·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon-Meth·od·ist, noun, adjectivenon-Meth·od·is·tic, adjectivepre-Meth·od·ist, adjective, noun

pro-Meth·od·ist, adjective, nounpseu·do-Meth·od·ist, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for methodist

Julie Tucker-Trainum was a Methodist minister but eventually left the church when she came out.
The Heroic Lesbian Couple of Oklahoma Who Fought for Equal Marriage—and Won|Randy R. Potts|October 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The new copy-reader here mentioned was C.C. Foss, a cherubic little fellow who was also a Methodist preacher.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Dr. William Lewis Corporon and his grandson, 14-year-old Reat Griffin Underwood were both members of a local Methodist church.
Frazier Glenn Miller Would Kill Every Jew Like Me|Hampton Stevens|April 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For a while, she fell into a depression and abandoned the churchgoing Methodist tradition in which she was reared.
Joy Reid, MSNBC Anchor, on the Racism of the Tea Party, Family Dramas, and Why She Loves Boxing|Lloyd Grove|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Raised a Methodist, Phelps was ordained a Southern Baptist minister in 1947 at the age of 17.
This Man Is The Future of Westboro Baptist Church|Caitlin Dickson|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He had to preach one evening in a little village where there was a small Methodist Society.
The Wonders of Prayer|Various
He was a Methodist minister, an old member of the Virginia Conference, but his carriage that day was soldierly and grand.
Detailed Minutiae of Soldier life in the Army of Northern Virginia, 1861-1865|Carlton McCarthy
At an early period, when I was little more than sixteen years of age, I became a member of the Methodist society.
Modern Skepticism: A Journey Through the Land of Doubt and Back Again|Joseph Barker
Then I asked the Doctor what church he belonged to, and started to go out when he said he was a Methodist.
With Rod and Line in Colorado Waters|Lewis B. France
In the village near which this aunt lived there was no place of worship except the Methodist meeting-house.
The Grimk Sisters|Catherine H. Birney

British Dictionary definitions for methodist

Methodist

/ (ˈmɛθədɪst) /

noun

a member of any of the Nonconformist denominations that derive from the system of faith and practice initiated by John Wesley and his followers

adjective Methodistic, Methodistical

of or relating to Methodism or the Church embodying it (the Methodist Church)

Derived FormsMethodistically, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for methodist

Methodist

"One of a new kind of puritans lately arisen, so called from their profession to live by rules and in constant method" [Johnson]. Protestant religious sect founded 1729 at Oxford University by John and Charles Wesley, took that name almost from inception, but it had been used since at least 1686 for various new methods of worship. Related: Methodism.