christianity

IPA/ˌkrɪstiˈænəti/
KK[krˌɪstʃiˈænɪti]IPA/ˌkrɪstiˈænəti/

christianity — noun

1. a world religion whose followers believe in one God and accept the teachings fou

1.nounB1
Definition

a world religion whose followers believe in one God and accept the teachings found in the Bible, which they regard as the sacred story of Jesus Christ

Example

Christianity, with its belief in Jesus Christ, is the world's most widely followed religion with over two billion adherents.

uncountable noun, used without article

Leila's family converted to Christianity when she was a young child.

collocation: convert to Christianity

Common collocations
  • convert to Christianity
  • practice Christianity
  • the spread of Christianity
  • the history of Christianity
  • early Christianity
  • follow Christianity
  • the teachings of Christianity
Synonyms
  • the Christian faith

    more personal or devotional tone; focuses on belief and trust rather than the institutional religion

  • the Christian religion

    more formal and academic; emphasises the organised system of beliefs and practices

  • Christendom

    historical or geographical term referring to the worldwide body of Christians, not the belief system itself

Grammar Patterns

Christianity + verb

in Christianity

of Christianity

convert to Christianity

Usage Note

Always capitalised as a proper noun. Usually used without a definite article ('in Christianity', not 'the Christianity'), except when followed by 'of' ('the history of Christianity', 'the spread of Christianity'). A person who follows Christianity is called a Christian (noun).

Common Mistakes

She converted to the Christianity last year.
She converted to Christianity last year.
'Christianity' is a proper noun and normally does not take an article.
Many people follow Christian.
Many people follow Christianity.
'Christian' is a person; the religion is 'Christianity'.
He is a Christianity.
He is a Christian.
Use 'Christian' for a person who follows the religion.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While Christianity names the religion as a whole system of beliefs, 'the Christian faith' places more emphasis on personal trust and devotion — a believer speaks of 'my Christian faith' but not 'my Christianity' in the same intimate way. 'Christendom' is a historical or sociological term for the collective body of Christian-majority societies, especially in medieval Europe, and is rarely used to describe personal belief. 'The Church' refers to the institutional organisation of Christians (a specific denomination or the global community) rather than the belief system itself. For example: 'She studied the history of Christianity' (the religion), 'She is a member of the Catholic Church' (the institution), and 'Medieval Christendom shaped European politics' (the Christian world).

the Christian faithChristendom ↗the Church

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

  • widely practiced
  • deeply rooted
  • historically significant

Phrases

  • the rise of Christianity
  • the influence of Christianity
  • the spread of Christianity
  • the history of Christianity

Prepositions

Etymology

HebrewGreekLatinEnglish

Christianity comes from Latin Christianitas, from Christianus 'a Christian', which in turn comes from Greek Christianos (Χριστιανός), meaning 'follower of Christ'. The root Christos (Χριστός) translates the Hebrew word Mashiach (Messiah), meaning 'anointed one'. The suffix -ity forms a noun denoting a state or quality. The English word has been used since the 14th century.