Meaning & use
nondenominational
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Meanings
adjectivebefore a noun
Open to people of all Christian or other faiths, and not belonging to any one church group.
Grammar: Usually appears before a noun: a nondenominational service.
Patterns
- a nondenominational church
- a nondenominational service
We attended a nondenominational service at the hospital chapel.
Their wedding was held in a nondenominational church.
The college offers nondenominational prayer for all students.
adjectivebefore a noun
Not tied to any particular religion at all, and so suitable for people of any belief.
Grammar: Used for ceremonies and institutions that avoid favoring any religion.
Patterns
- a nondenominational ceremony
The school held a nondenominational ceremony for the winter holiday.
He asked for a nondenominational funeral that anyone could attend.
The park hosts nondenominational gatherings in the summer.
Common combinations
- nondenominational church
- The family joined a nondenominational church near their home.
- nondenominational service
- A nondenominational service was held for the victims.
- nondenominational prayer
- The mayor opened the meeting with a nondenominational prayer.
- nondenominational chaplain
- The prison employs a nondenominational chaplain.
Synonyms and how they differ
- interfaith
- Interfaith describes activity involving several different religions together, while nondenominational means attached to no single group.
- ecumenical
- Ecumenical is more formal and refers to cooperation between Christian churches, not simply independence from them.
- secular
- Secular means having no religious character at all, but a nondenominational event is still religious.
Opposites
Word family
- denomination noun
- a branch of a religion, such as a church group
- denominational adjective
- belonging to a particular religious group
- interdenominational adjective
- involving several Christian groups
Commonly confused: nondenominational or nonsectarian? nondenominational or nonreligious?
nondenominational vs nonsectarian
Nonsectarian is very close in meaning but is used more for schools and charities that are not run by a religious group.
nondenominational vs nonreligious
Nonreligious means without religion, whereas a nondenominational group is still religious.
Practice
The hospital chapel holds a ____ service so that patients of any Christian background can attend.
Choose one answer.
Nondenominational means not tied to a single church group. Sectarian and denominational mean the reverse, and atheist describes a person who disbelieves in God, not a service.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nondenominational”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.