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

The superintendent of the Cannock Chase Methodist Church Circuit, Rev Samantha Hagerman, said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with family, friends and emergency services affected by the incident near Cheslyn Hay yesterday."

From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026

His name adorns Southern Methodist University’s football stadium, and he has been seen golfing with former President George W. Bush.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026

The study, led by Houston Methodist researchers, examined how changes in body fat associated with obesity may send damaging signals to the brain.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026

Two of the elders, Absalom Jones and Richard Allen, had once been worshipers at St. George Methodist Church, a congregation composed of both whites and blacks.

From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy

Catholics overtook Methodists as the largest denomination in the nation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026

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

Neither United Methodists nor Free Methodists specifically condemn IVF in their church doctrines.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 23, 2024

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