protestant
1 of 2noun
prot·es·tant ˈprä-tə-stənt 
sense 2 is also
prə-ˈte- 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
Protestantism
ˈprä-tə-stən-ˌti-zəm
noun protestant
2 of 2adjective
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
Time
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Mandeep Rai, Forbes, 21 June 2022 Fundamentalist protestants, a powerful political force in South Korea, are particularly distrustful of fringe Christian sects -- especially Shincheonji, which has been accused of poaching members of other churches. Joshua Berlinger, CNN, 6 Mar. 2020 About a quarter of all American adults identify as evangelical protestants, according to a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center. BostonGlobe.com, 29 Dec. 2019 On July 24, the protestants testified about their concerns before an administrative judge in Oakland. Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, 5 Aug. 2019 Anand, Schenker and the other protestants did not respond to requests for comment. Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, 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, 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, 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, 26 June 2018 Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 But even as modern shopping culture was born at the end of the 19th century, the protestant value of thriftiness persisted. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2022 The church also voted Tuesday, during its national meeting in Anaheim, to support a new task force to oversee additional changes within the protestant church, following a report that showed leaders routinely mishandled abuse cases. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 15 June 2022 Brown was born into a family of protestant clergy in 1945 in central Iowa. James E. Causey, Journal Sentinel, 7 June 2022 Southern Baptists are the country’s largest protestant denomination. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 23 May 2022 Some 40% of Americans now identify as protestant, compared with 43% in 2019 and 52% in 2007. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2021 Horace Mann’s vision was a structured, uniform system of education that muted all diversity of culture and thought into one, homogeneous (and protestant) world view. Jeanne Allen, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2021 It’s a glass and steel rectangle, while Wright’s building, which sits proudly on Fifth Avenue, right up the street from that protestant monstrosity the Metropolitan, is unlike any other in the city. New York Times, 13 Aug. 2021 See More
Noun
When Baroness Scotland entered the legal profession - which at the time was 93% male, white and protestant - the odds were already heavily stacked against her. Mandeep Rai, Forbes, 21 June 2022 Fundamentalist protestants, a powerful political force in South Korea, are particularly distrustful of fringe Christian sects -- especially Shincheonji, which has been accused of poaching members of other churches. Joshua Berlinger, CNN, 6 Mar. 2020 About a quarter of all American adults identify as evangelical protestants, according to a 2014 poll by the Pew Research Center. BostonGlobe.com, 29 Dec. 2019 On July 24, the protestants testified about their concerns before an administrative judge in Oakland. Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, 5 Aug. 2019 Anand, Schenker and the other protestants did not respond to requests for comment. Esther Mobley, SFChronicle.com, 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, 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, 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, 26 June 2018 Adjective
Born in Paris on Dec. 3, 1930, Jean-Luc Godard was the son of protestant parents who lived between France and Switzerland, moving permanently to the latter in 1933. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Sep. 2022 But even as modern shopping culture was born at the end of the 19th century, the protestant value of thriftiness persisted. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2022 The church also voted Tuesday, during its national meeting in Anaheim, to support a new task force to oversee additional changes within the protestant church, following a report that showed leaders routinely mishandled abuse cases. Lawrence Richard, Fox News, 15 June 2022 Brown was born into a family of protestant clergy in 1945 in central Iowa. James E. Causey, Journal Sentinel, 7 June 2022 Southern Baptists are the country’s largest protestant denomination. Leada Gore | Lgore@al.com, al, 23 May 2022 Some 40% of Americans now identify as protestant, compared with 43% in 2019 and 52% in 2007. Ian Lovett, WSJ, 14 Dec. 2021 Horace Mann’s vision was a structured, uniform system of education that muted all diversity of culture and thought into one, homogeneous (and protestant) world view. Jeanne Allen, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2021 It’s a glass and steel rectangle, while Wright’s building, which sits proudly on Fifth Avenue, right up the street from that protestant monstrosity the Metropolitan, is unlike any other in the city. New York Times, 13 Aug. 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle French, from Latin protestant-, protestans, present participle of protestari
First Known Use
Noun
1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Adjective
1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
Protestant 1 of 2
noun
Prot·es·tant
ˈprä-tə-stənt
: a member of one of the Christian churches that separated from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century
Protestant
2 of 2adjective
: of or relating to Protestants
Legal Definition
protestant
noun
pro·tes·tant prə-ˈtes-tənt
: a person challenging an action of an administrative agency