established church

noun

1. a church that is recognized by law, and sometimes financially supported, as the official church of a nation.

Established Church

noun

1. a Church that is officially recognized as a national institution, esp the Church of England

established church

¹

1. A religious denomination that receives financial and other support from the government, often to the exclusion of support for other denominations. ( See under “World Literature, Philosophy, and Religion.” )

established church

²

1. A church supported by the government as a national institution. The Church of England is an established church in England , as is the Lutheran Church in the countries of Scandinavia and the Presbyterian Church in Scotland .

Word History and Origins

Origin of established church¹

First recorded in 1650–60

Example Sentences

UKIP also supports the monarchy and the established Church of England.

From The Daily Beast

The theologians checked the messages against established church beliefs.

From The Daily Beast

The Church of England was the established church of Virginia, and the people were taxed for the parsons' salaries.

From Project Gutenberg

Later in the century, they had entirely drifted away from any direct association with the Established Church.

From Project Gutenberg

He spoke against capital punishment, against church-rates, against flogging in the army, and against the Irish Established Church.

From Project Gutenberg

But if the Established Church was the one favoured body, it had to pay dearly for its privileges.

From Project Gutenberg

These people called themselves puritans, as pretending to a purer faith than those of the established church.

From Project Gutenberg