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Definition of "denominationalism" [de•nom•i•na•tion•al•ism]

  • The tendency to separate into religious denominations. (noun)
  • Advocacy of separation into religious denominations. (noun)
  • Strict adherence to a denomination; sectarianism. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "denominationalism" in a sentence
  • "The third option, the one in fact embraced by most religiously affiliated people in the US, is what I think is called "denominationalism" - the idea that different religious organizations are just different consumer products."
  • "This attempt at definition is what Charles Ellis, in responding to O Connell, calls "denominationalism" — it's a second-order process of differentiation from the other varieties of the dominant religious tradition."
  • "In these ways, denominationalism has become less significant as a basis for social and cultural tensions and divisions… As the population has become better educated, denominational barriers have ceased to function as hermetic categories of religious identification.37"