What does anabaptist mean?
An Anabaptist was a member of a radical religious movement born amid the turmoil of the sixteenth-century European Reformation. Rejecting the Catholic and mainstream Protestant practice of baptising infants, Anabaptists held that baptism should be a conscious act of faith undertaken only by consenting adults — which meant 're-baptising' people who had been christened as babies, an act their opponents treated as heresy punishable by death. Persecuted from all sides, early Anabaptists endured brutal repression, most famously at Münster in 1534–35, yet the movement survived through quieter leaders such as Menno Simons. Its modern descendants include the Mennonites, Hutterites, and Amish, whose communities of plain living and pacifism trace directly back to Anabaptist principles such as nonviolence, separation of church and state, and voluntary church membership. The word remains essential vocabulary for understanding both Reformation history and the origins of several enduring religious traditions.
nounA member of a radical Protestant movement that emerged during the 16th-century Reformation, holding that baptism should be administered only to consenting adult believers and therefore rejecting infant baptism.
- A member of the sixteenth-century radical Reformation movement that rejected infant baptism and practised adult rebaptism.
- (Loosely) any member of the modern denominations descended from that movement, such as the Mennonites, Hutterites, or Amish.
"The Anabaptists were persecuted by both Catholic and Protestant authorities across sixteenth-century Europe."
"Because Anabaptists rejected infant baptism, they were condemned as heretics by Lutherans, Calvinists, and Catholics alike."
"Many of the Amish and Mennonite communities of Pennsylvania descend from Swiss Anabaptist refugees."
The standard plural; commonly capitalised as 'Anabaptists' when referring to the historical group.
"Thousands of Anabaptists fled to Moravia and the Netherlands to escape persecution."
In 1534 the Anabaptists seized the German city of Münster, abolished private property, and instituted polygamy — before the besieged city fell and its leaders were tortured to death in cages still displayed on the cathedral tower today.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of anabaptist
The word derives ultimately from the Greek verb 'anabaptizein', meaning 'to baptise again' — formed from 'ana-' ('again, anew') plus 'baptizein' ('to immerse, baptise'), the same root that gives us 'baptism'. The English term arose in the early sixteenth century as a polemical label applied by opponents to radicals who rebaptised adult converts. Cognates sharing the Greek root include 'baptism', 'baptize', and the later denominational word 'Baptist'.
Related word forms
How anabaptist is actually used
The word is usually written with a capital initial ('Anabaptist') when referring specifically to the historical movement, though lowercase 'anabaptist' also occurs as a generic term. It carries strong historical and religious connotations; it is not used casually. Historians sometimes caution against lumping together the very diverse groups labelled 'Anabaptist' by their enemies.
Easily confused with anabaptist
Baptists are members of a much later English denomination that practises believer's baptism but does not rebaptise those already christened as infants, whereas Anabaptists belonged to the sixteenth-century radical Reformation and insisted on rebaptism.