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Anglican

American  
[ang-gli-kuhn] / ˈæŋ glɪ kən /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the Church of England.

  2. related in origin to and in communion with the Church of England, as various Episcopal churches in other parts of the world.

  3. English.


noun

  1. a member of the Church of England or of a church in communion with it.

  2. a person who upholds the system or teachings of the Church of England.

Anglican British  
/ ˈæŋɡlɪkən /

adjective

  1. denoting or relating to the Anglican communion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a member of the Church of England or one of the Churches in full communion with it

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • Anglicanly adverb
  • anti-Anglican adjective
  • non-Anglican adjective
  • pro-Anglican adjective

Etymology

Origin of Anglican

First recorded in 1625–35; from Medieval Latin Anglicānus “English”; Anglic, -an

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Some churches around the Anglican world have long permitted women bishops, with the first appointed in the United States in 1989.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

Others, however, remain opposed such as the Archbishop of the Anglican Church of Rwanda, Laurent Mbanda.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

In nods to the diversity of the Anglican Communion, various languages will feature in the service, including singing in Urdu, a Gospel reading in Spanish and a prayer in the Bemba language of Zambia.

From BBC • Mar. 21, 2026

Instead it claimed that it was the true Anglican Communion.

From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026

Even the name had an austere Anglican cadence, to my ear at least, which yearned hopelessly for England and was dead to the sweet dark rhythms of the little mission towns.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt