Meaning & use
swaddlers
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“swaddlers” is a form of “swaddler”.
Meaning
nounpluralreligionrare
A member of an 18th-century Irish Methodist movement known for its emotional preaching and strict religious rules.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun for the group; a single member is called a Swaddler.
Patterns
- the Swaddlers
- a group of Swaddlers
Historians describe the Swaddlers as one of the earliest Methodist groups in Ireland.
The Swaddlers held open-air meetings that drew large, emotional crowds.
Local records show that the Swaddlers were often mocked by their neighbors.
Common combinations
- the Swaddlers movement
- The Swaddlers movement spread quickly through parts of eighteenth-century Ireland.
- a group of Swaddlers
- A group of Swaddlers gathered in the market square to sing and pray.
- the Swaddlers' meetings
- The Swaddlers' meetings were famous for loud singing and weeping.
- early Swaddlers
- Early Swaddlers faced suspicion from both Catholic and Anglican authorities.
Synonyms and how they differ
- Methodists
- A much broader term for members of the Methodist Church; the Swaddlers were one early Irish branch of that movement.
- revivalists
- A general word for people who lead religious revivals; it does not refer specifically to this Irish group.
Word family
- Swaddler noun
- A single member of the group.
Commonly confused: swaddlers or swaddling? swaddlers or swaddled?
swaddlers vs swaddling
Swaddling means wrapping a baby tightly in cloth; the Swaddlers were a religious group, and the two words are only historically related.
swaddlers vs swaddled
This is the past form of the verb swaddle, meaning wrapped in cloth, not a name for a religious group.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'Swaddlers' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Swaddlers' refers to an 18th-century Irish Methodist group, so sentence 2 fits. Options 1 and 3 confuse the word with swaddling cloth or baby products, and option 4 invents a meaning that does not exist.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “swaddlers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.