Methodist

American  

[meth-uh-dist] / ˈmɛθ ə dɪst /

noun

• Methodists
  plural

1. 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.

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

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adjective

1. Also Methodistic, Methodistical. of or relating to the Methodists or Methodism.

Methodist British  

/ ˈmɛθədɪst /

noun

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

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adjective

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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• non-Methodist
  noun
• anti-Methodist
  adjective
• non-Methodistic
  adjective
• pre-Methodist
  adjective
• pro-Methodist
  adjective
• pseudo-Methodist
  adjective
• Methodistically
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• Methodists
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Methodist

First recorded in 1585–95; method + -ist

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Methodist Methodists

Brian Anderson, a Methodist minister with the East Belfast Mission, said the narrative that loyalist communities are losing out to those in republican areas is deeply ingrained.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

But Rickey, a devout Methodist, also despised bigotry, which he considered un-Christian.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

But the last white, Democratic pastor in Congress was Bob Edgar, a Methodist minister representing Pennsylvania from 1975 to 1987.

From Barron's ● Jul. 12, 2026

Disclosure: New York Times and Southern Methodist University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors.

From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026

The Allen School was founded in 1887 by white United Methodist missionaries, with the goal of providing talented Negro girls from Appalachian North Carolina with the best possible start in life.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Catholics overtook Methodists as the largest denomination in the nation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

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

Pacific Palisades, founded by Methodists, was a “Christian community” with modern amenities “where the mountains met the coast.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2025

Nora Mathison: Syracuse University had been founded just three years earlier, in 1870, by forward thinking Methodists.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 28, 2023

The ones in a pickle were the Methodists.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns