I. -lə̇kəl, -lēk- adjective
Etymology: Late Latin evangelic us (from Greek euangelikos, from euangelion + -ikos -ic) + English -al
1. : of, relating to, contained in, or in agreement with the Christian gospel especially as it is presented in the four Gospels of the New Testament
2. sometimes capitalized : protestant
mobs attacked evangelical property
3. : of, relating to, or being a religious group emphasizing salvation by faith in the atoning death of Jesus Christ through personal conversion, the authority of Scripture, and the importance of preaching as contrasted with ritual
4.
a. usually capitalized : of or relating to the Evangelical Church in Germany
b. sometimes capitalized : of or relating to Fundamentalism or Fundamentalists
an ultraconservative evangelical message
c. usually capitalized : of or relating to Low Church adherents in the Church of England and the Protestant Episcopal Church as distinguished from High Church Anglo-Catholics ; also : of or relating to Wesleyans or Methodists who stand in the tradition of the 18th century evangelical revival in England
5. : characteristic or suggestive of an evangelist : characterized by or reflecting a missionary, reforming, or redeeming impulse or purpose : evangelistic , zealous , ardent , militant , crusading
did not feel the passion for writing or preaching that more evangelical authors have felt — F.A.Swinnerton
the rise and fall of evangelical fervor within the Socialist movement — Times Literary Supplement
propaganda … reinforced the mood of evangelical patriotism — J.D.Hart
the Marxist impulse in American literary criticism was chiefly hortatory and evangelical — C.I.Glicksberg
• evan·gel·i·cal·ness noun -es
II. noun
( -s )
Usage: usually capitalized
: one holding evangelical principles or belonging to an evangelical party or church