Meaning & use
theologians
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“theologians” is a form of “theologian”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
People who study or write about religious beliefs and the nature of God.
Grammar: This is the plural form of theologian; use it with a plural verb, as in 'The theologians disagree.'
Patterns
- Christian theologians
- Muslim theologians
- a group of theologians
The conference brought together theologians from many different countries.
Medieval theologians argued about how faith and reason could work together.
Some theologians say that religious language is mostly metaphorical.
Word forms
| singular | theologian |
|---|
Common combinations
- a leading theologian
- She became a leading theologian in the 20th century.
- Christian theologians
- Christian theologians have debated this question for centuries.
- theologians argue
- Theologians argue about the exact meaning of the original text.
- a school of theologians
- A school of theologians in the Middle Ages developed this idea.
Synonyms and how they differ
- religious scholar
- This is a broader term; it can include people who study religion without focusing on God or doctrine, whereas theologians usually work within a faith tradition.
- divine
- An old-fashioned noun for a theologian or clergy member; it is rare in modern English and sounds archaic.
Word family
- theology noun
- The study of religion and religious belief.
- theological adjective
- Relating to theology or the study of religion.
- theologically adverb
- In a way that relates to theology.
Commonly confused: theologians or theologist?
theologians vs theologist
A rare variant of theologian; most learners and writers use theologian, which is the standard term.
Practice
Which sentence uses the plural noun theologians correctly?
Choose one answer.
Theologians is a plural countable noun, so it takes a plural verb: 'The theologians are meeting.' Option A uses a singular verb 'is', which does not agree; option C uses 'was', also singular; option D is ungrammatical because 'has meeting' is not a correct verb phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “theologians”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.