protestant
noun
prot·es·tant
| \ ˈprä-tə-stənt
, sense 2 is also prə-ˈte-
\
, sense 2 is also prə-ˈte-
\
Definition of protestant
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 Protestant
a
: any of a group of German princes and cities presenting a defense of freedom of conscience against an edict of the Diet of Speyer in 1529 intended to suppress the Lutheran movement
b
: a member of any of several church denominations denying the universal authority of the Pope and affirming the Reformation principles of justification by faith alone, the priesthood of all believers, and the primacy of the Bible as the only source of revealed truth
broadly
: a Christian not of a Catholic or Eastern church
2
: one who makes or enters a protest
protestant
adjectiveDefinition of protestant (Entry 2 of 2)
1
capitalized
: of or relating to Protestants, their churches, or their religion
2
: making or sounding a protest
the two protestant ladies up and marched out — Time
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Other Words from protestant
Noun
Protestantism
\ ˈprä-tə-stən-ˌti-zəm
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of protestant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Anand, Schenker and the other protestants did not respond to requests for comment. — Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, "NIMBYs versus Negronis: Oakland residents protest cocktail bar Here’s How," 5 Aug. 2019 As a protestant who overthrew a Catholic, William III has become a hero to Northern Ireland's 20th century unionists, a political constituency that wished to remain a part of the U.K., rather than join the rest of Catholic Ireland. — Chloe Foussianes, Town & Country, "Beyond The Favourite: The Royal Family's Very Queer History," 22 Feb. 2019 In David Ireland’s play, directed by Vicky Featherstone, Eric, a protestant and lifelong Orangeman, gets a nasty surprise: His baby granddaughter looks like I.R.A. bigwig Gerry Adams. — Alexis Soloski, New York Times, "11 Plays and Musicals to Go to in N.Y.C. This Weekend," 21 June 2018 This comes as the Presbyterians, like other mainline protestants churches, have faced rapidly declining memberships and an identity crisis that has allowed the more radical elements within the church to hijack the movement, observers say. — Sean Savage, Jewish Journal, "Presbyterian Church continues trend of targeting Israel at its General Assembly," 26 June 2018 But one group the administration did not win were white mainline protestants. — Eugene Scott, Washington Post, "Why being accused of ‘child abuse’ by his fellow Methodists probably means little to Jeff Sessions," 20 June 2018 This was the party of the union, northern cities, industrialists and protestants, run by classical liberals who believed in a nightwatchman state, content to pick up a colony or two but leery of foreign wars. — The Economist, "The president’s takeover of his party is near complete," 19 Apr. 2018 Sovereign Grace is a massive protestant network with 70 churches in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia. — Fox News, "Man acquitted in Kate Steinle death fights federal charges," 16 Mar. 2018 Her husband, Ewan MacDonald, had struggled for some time to find work as a protestant minister. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "L.M. Montgomery’s Ontario Home Will Open As a Museum," 17 Mar. 2017Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Every American president has had ties to a protestant or Catholic church. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "Spaceflight and Spirituality, a Complicated Relationship," 16 July 2019 Support came from the middle-class, including from religious organizations; protestant denominations and Catholic and Jewish groups provided most of the financial backing for the NWRO. — Livia Gershon, Longreads, "The Prosperity Plea," 30 May 2018 The figure of the righteous protestant astronaut was epitomized in John Glenn, the first American to orbit Earth as part of NASA’s Mercury program, who frequently invoked his religious commitments at press conferences. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "Spaceflight and Spirituality, a Complicated Relationship," 16 July 2019 Every American president has had ties to a protestant or Catholic church. — Daniel Oberhaus, WIRED, "Spaceflight and Spirituality, a Complicated Relationship," 16 July 2019 An estimated 17 percent of Venezuela’s population of 31 million is believed to be affiliated to a protestant church. — Washington Post, "Venezuelan pastor fills presidential void left by opposition," 22 Feb. 2018 Support came from the middle-class, including from religious organizations; protestant denominations and Catholic and Jewish groups provided most of the financial backing for the NWRO. — Livia Gershon, Longreads, "The Prosperity Plea," 30 May 2018 Under Caldwell's leadership starting in 1982, Windsor Village church grew from 25 members to more than 16,000, and is one of the largest protestant churches in the nation, according to the church website. — Samantha Ketterer, Houston Chronicle, "Megachurch pastor Kirbyjon Caldwell denies claims of cheating investors," 30 Mar. 2018 The couple, originally from North Carolina, had lived for 23 years in Turkey’s third largest city, where Andrew was the pastor of the Izmir Resurrection Church, a small protestant congregation of about 25. — Joshua Keating, Slate Magazine, "How an American pastor, improbably accused of terrorism, became a pawn in U.S.-Turkey relations.," 15 May 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'protestant.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for protestant
Protestant
noun
Prot·es·tant
| \ ˈprä-tə-stənt\
Kids Definition of Protestant
(Entry 1 of 2)
: a member of one of the Christian churches that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century
Protestant
adjectiveKids Definition of Protestant (Entry 2 of 2)
: of or relating to Protestants
protestant
noun
pro·tes·tant
| \ prə-ˈtes-tənt
\
\
Legal Definition of protestant
: a person challenging an action of an administrative agency
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