What does dechristianise mean?
Dechristianise means to remove the Christian character, influence, or institutions from a society, institution, place, or individual. The word is most closely associated with the French Revolution, when revolutionary authorities systematically sought to eliminate Christianity from public life — closing churches, confiscating property, promoting non-Christian calendars and cults, and pressuring clergy to renounce their vows. In modern usage it appears mainly in historical scholarship and in sociological or political commentary about secularisation, where it carries a more specific meaning than the broader terms 'secularise' or 'laicise': what is being removed is distinctly Christian rather than religious in general. It can also describe efforts to strip Christian elements from education, law, or culture. The verb is formal in register and relatively rare outside academic contexts. Related forms include the noun 'dechristianisation', which names the process itself. Writers use it when precision about which religion's influence is being removed matters.
verbTo deprive a person, institution, society, or place of its Christian character, influence, or practices; to remove Christian elements from something.
- To strip a society, institution, or place of Christian influence, symbols, or practices.
- To cause an individual person to abandon their Christian beliefs or affiliation (less common).
"The revolutionary government moved swiftly to dechristianise the country, renaming churches and closing seminaries."
"The Jacobins sought to dechristianise the French state, replacing church festivals with civic ones."
"Critics argued that the new curriculum would gradually dechristianise the nation's schools."
During the French Revolution, radicals went so far as to rededicate Notre-Dame Cathedral to the 'Cult of Reason' — dechristianisation in action.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dechristianise
Dechristianise combines the privative prefix 'de-' with 'Christian', which derives from Greek 'christianos' meaning follower of Christ ('Christos' from Hebrew 'mashiah', anointed one), via Latin 'christianus'. The verb was coined in English during the late eighteenth century, when the French Revolution made the concept prominent; the noun 'dechristianisation' arose in the same period to describe that upheaval. Cognates such as 'Christendom', 'Christianity', and 'christen' share the same root.
Related word forms
How dechristianise is actually used
Formal register, most often encountered in historical writing about the French Revolution and in sociological discussions of secularisation. The British spelling 'dechristianise' is standard in UK usage; American sources typically use 'dechristianize' with a z. The corresponding noun is 'dechristianisation'/'dechristianization'.
Easily confused with dechristianise
Secularise is the broader term for removing religious character of any kind, while dechristianise specifically means removing Christian elements or influence.