Pentecostal

American  

[pen-ti-kaw-stuhl, -stl, -kos-tuhl, -tl-] / ˌpɛn tɪˈkɔ stəl, -stl, -ˈkɒs təl, -tl- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Pentecost, a Christian festival commemorating the descent of the Holy Ghost upon the apostles.

2. 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.

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noun

1. Also called Pentecostalist.  a member of any Pentecostal denomination.

Pentecostal British  

/ ˌpɛntɪˈkɒstəl /

adjective

1. (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

2. of or relating to Pentecost or the influence of the Holy Ghost

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noun

1. a member of a Pentecostal Church

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

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

Her religious parents took her to a Pentecostal church community outside of Wales when she was 14.

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

The child of a Pentecostal school principal raised outside Portland, Ore., Waggoner grew up witnessing tension between religious groups and a progressive local government.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

She was, too, genuinely called to her Pentecostal Christianity, at least at first, which author Claire Hoffman writes about with great sensitivity.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 8, 2025

You don’t know what it’s like inside a Pentecostal church full of Latinos.

From "Bodega Dreams" by Ernesto Quinonez