Swedenborgian

American  

[sweed-n-bawr-jee-uhn, -gee-] / ˌswid nˈbɔr dʒi ən, -gi- /

adjective

1. of or relating to Emanuel Swedenborg, his religious doctrines, or the body of followers adhering to these doctrines and constituting the Church of the New Jerusalem, or New Church.

---

noun

1. a believer in the religious doctrines of Swedenborg.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Swedenborgism
  noun
• Swedenborgianism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Swedenborgian

First recorded in 1795–1805; Swedenborg + -ian

Example Sentences

Also according to legend, there was a mild-mannered, nurturant, exception: John Chapman, the itinerant Swedenborgian Christian preacher and horticulturalist better known as Johnny Appleseed.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

The 100-seat glass and wood sanctuary was built in 1951, designed by architect Lloyd Wright — the son of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright — for the Swedenborgian Church.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2024

He told Mr. Gates he had also found spiritual fulfillment in other traditions, including his wife’s religion, Swedenborgian Christianity, a Protestant denomination based on the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th-century Swedish mystic.

From New York Times • Nov. 6, 2022

The branch in Bryn Athyn is just one of several within the larger church organization, and there are Swedenborgian communities in Pittsburgh, Maryland and Massachusetts.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 21, 2022

Daniel Hudson Burnham was born in Henderson, New York, on September 4, 1846, into a family devoted to Swedenborgian principles of obedience, self-subordination, and public service.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson