Protestantism

American  

[prot-uh-stuhn-tiz-uhm] / ˈprɒt ə stənˌtɪz əm /

noun

1. the religion of Protestants.

2. the Protestant churches collectively.

3. adherence to Protestant principles.

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Protestantism British  

/ ˈprɒtɪstənˌtɪzəm /

noun

1. the religion or religious system of any of the Churches of Western Christendom that are separated from the Roman Catholic Church and adhere substantially to principles established by Luther, Calvin, etc, in the Reformation

2. the Protestant Churches collectively

3. adherence to the principles of the Reformation

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Other Word Forms

• anti-Protestantism noun
• pro-Protestantism noun

Etymology

Origin of Protestantism

First recorded in 1640–50; Protestant + -ism

Example Sentences

He was brought up in Protestantism, to which was often attributed his austere demeanour, but gave up religion in his teens.

From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026

Norwegian priest and missionary Hans Egede set out to reconnect with Greenland and convert whoever was there to Protestantism and found an Inuit community.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

Ufology, like Protestantism, is a big-tent religion, and “A lot of this overlaps,” Janix said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 4, 2024

Through the Renaissance and the upheaval of Protestantism, through Martin Luther and all that, Freemasonry changed the world.

From Salon • Aug. 13, 2023

One of the key groups that spread these teachings was founded in the 1530s: the Jesuit order, a collection of highly trained intellectuals well suited to attack Protestantism.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife