Nazarene

American  

[naz-uh-reen, naz-uh-reen] / ˌnæz əˈrin, ˈnæz əˌrin /

noun

1. a native or inhabitant of Nazareth.

2. a member of a sect of early Jewish converts to Christianity who retained the Mosaic ritual.

3. the Nazarene, Jesus Christ.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to Nazareth or the Nazarenes.

Nazarene British  

/ ˈnæz-, ˌnæzəˈriːn /

noun

1. an early name for a Christian (Acts 24:5) or (when preceded by the ) for Jesus Christ

2. a member of one of several groups of Jewish-Christians found principally in Syria

3. a member of an association of German artists called the Nazarenes or Brotherhood of St Luke, including Friedrich Overbeck (1789–1869) and Peter von Cornelius (1783–1867), founded (1809) in Vienna to revive German religious art after the examples of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance

---

adjective

1. of or relating to Nazareth or the Nazarenes

Etymology

Origin of Nazarene

1225–75; Middle English < Late Latin Nazarēnus < Greek Nazarēnós, equivalent to Nazar ( ét ) Nazareth + -ēnos suffix of origin

Example Sentences

Raised in Nashville, Johnson grew up in a conservative Christian family and graduated from faith-based Trevecca Nazarene University into a world of Christian showbiz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 3, 2025

“Bona” opens with a high-angle shot of a screen-filling crowd, participants in a Philippine religious spectacle, the Feast of the Black Nazarene.

From New York Times • Dec. 5, 2024

Students at the school were being taken to the nearby Oroville Church of the Nazarene, where they were set to be reunited with their parents.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

Northwest Nazarene also got 11 points from Aaron Murphy.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 9, 2023

And greatest is Rostam—a warhorse to Neptune, a pallbearer of the Nazarene.

From "The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams" by Daniel Nayeri