pentecostal
pentecostal — adjective
- pentecostalpositive
- more pentecostalcomparative
- most pentecostalsuperlative
1. describing a Christian tradition whose members believe the Holy Spirit remains a
describing a Christian tradition whose members believe the Holy Spirit remains active in worship today, giving believers extraordinary abilities like speaking in unknown tongues and praying for sick people to recover.
The Pentecostal church on Elm Street holds three services every Sunday.
attributive use: Pentecostal + church
Jude grew up in a small Pentecostal community in rural Alabama.
Pentecostal worship often includes singing, clapping, and praying aloud.
Vikram attended a Pentecostal service and was amazed by the energy of the congregation.
The Pentecostal movement has spread across Africa and Latin America over the past fifty years.
- charismatic
Overlapping but broader — charismatic Christianity includes Pentecostal-style worship within other denominations.
- evangelical
Much broader — evangelical covers many Protestant groups that emphasize personal conversion and the authority of the Bible, not specifically the Holy Spirit gifts.
文法句型
Pentecostal + noun (church, movement, worship)
用法筆記
Attributive only — this sense nearly always appears before a noun such as church, movement, worship, or community. It is not used predicatively (e.g. not "the church is Pentecostal" in formal contexts, though that is possible conversationally).
常見錯誤
2. relating to the Christian festival held fifty days after Easter, which celebrate
relating to the Christian festival held fifty days after Easter, which celebrates the Holy Spirit coming down to the first followers of Jesus.
The choir prepared special hymns for the Pentecostal celebration at the cathedral.
Many Christians wear red on Pentecostal Sunday to honor the flames of the Holy Spirit.
Pentecostal Sunday + wear red
The pastor gave a sermon about the meaning of the Pentecostal festival.
Niran attended a Pentecostal vigil that lasted from sunset until dawn.
文法句型
Pentecostal + noun (festival, Sunday, celebration)
用法筆記
Always capitalized (Pentecostal) when referring to the festival. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense only describes things connected to the single day of Pentecost, not the broader Pentecostal movement.
常見錯誤
pentecostal — noun
- pentecostalsingular
- pentecostalsplural
1. a person who belongs to a Christian church that teaches that the Holy Spirit giv
a person who belongs to a Christian church that teaches that the Holy Spirit gives special abilities to believers, including the power to cure illness through prayer and to speak in languages they have never learned.
As a Pentecostal, Talia believes that prayer can heal the sick.
as a + Pentecostal
The local Pentecostals meet every Wednesday evening for Bible study at the community hall.
Her father was a devout Pentecostal who traveled to several countries as a missionary.
Lukas grew up among Pentecostals and learned to play the guitar in the church band.
- Pentecostalist
Less common; some speakers use this to refer to adherents of the movement, while Pentecostal is the standard term.
文法句型
a/an + Pentecostal
the + Pentecostals (plural)
用法筆記
Countable noun. Often used with a defining adjective such as devout, practicing, or committed. The plural form Pentecostals refers to members as a group.