Pentecostal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to Pentecost, a Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles.
-
noting or relating to any of various Christian groups, usually fundamentalist, that emphasize the activity of the Holy Spirit, stress holiness of living, and express their religious feelings uninhibitedly, as by speaking in tongues.
noun
adjective
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(usually prenominal) of or relating to any of various Christian groups that emphasize the charismatic aspects of Christianity and adopt a fundamental attitude to the Bible
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of or relating to Pentecost or the influence of the Holy Ghost
noun
Other Word Forms
- Pentecostalism noun
- Pentecostalist noun
- post-Pentecostal adjective
Etymology
Origin of Pentecostal
From the Late Latin word pentēcostālis, dating back to 1540–50. See Pentecost, -al 1
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.
Adusah was mainly based in London, preaching as head pastor of another Pentecostal church.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2026
The late Prophet Clement and others like him are part of a growing and politically connected movement within charismatic and Pentecostal Christianity called the New Apostolic Reformation.
From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026
Tinubu—a Muslim married to one of Nigeria’s most prominent Christian Pentecostal preachers—debated traveling to Washington, to explain the complex religious tapestry of a country evenly split between both faiths, Nigerian officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
Their parents had come from the Caribbean but "did not get a warm welcome" and went on to contribute to the growth of Pentecostal churches in the UK, she said.
From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025
The biggest building always seems to be the Pentecostal or Adventist church.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
