sunday school: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
MediumInformal, Ecclesiastical
Quick answer
What does “sunday school” mean?
A class held on Sundays, typically in a Christian church, to provide religious education to children.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A class held on Sundays, typically in a Christian church, to provide religious education to children.
Any informal or non-compulsory class or educational activity held on a Sunday; used historically and metaphorically for simplistic or moralistic instruction.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major differences in definition. Usage is equally common in religious communities in both regions.
Connotations
Carries strong cultural associations with Protestant Christianity in both the UK and US. In secular contexts, may connote traditional, conservative, or old-fashioned values.
Frequency
More frequent in discourse within religious communities and in historical/cultural references. General frequency in secular language is low.
Grammar
How to Use “sunday school” in a Sentence
[Subject] attends Sunday school[Subject] teaches Sunday schoolThe Sunday school at [Location]A Sunday school for [Group]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “sunday school” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- This term is not standardly used as a verb.
American English
- This term is not standardly used as a verb.
adverb
British English
- This term is not standardly used as an adverb.
American English
- This term is not standardly used as an adverb.
adjective
British English
- She has a very Sunday-school attitude towards the rules.
- The presentation was Sunday-school simplistic.
American English
- He gave us a Sunday-school lecture on honesty.
- Her approach is a bit Sunday-school for this complex problem.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Rarely used. Might appear in context of community engagement or corporate social responsibility programmes linked to churches.
Academic
Used in historical, sociological, or religious studies contexts discussing religious education or childhood socialization.
Everyday
Common within religious communities; understood but less used in highly secular everyday contexts.
Technical
Not a technical term outside specific theological or educational discussions.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “sunday school”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “sunday school”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “sunday school”
- Incorrectly capitalising 'school' (should be 'Sunday school', not 'Sunday School' in standard prose).
- Using as a verb (e.g., 'He sunday-schooled the children' is non-standard).
- Omitting the article when needed (e.g., 'He goes to Sunday school' is correct; 'He goes to the Sunday school' is less common unless specifying a particular one).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Primarily yes, but it can be used metaphorically for any instruction perceived as simplistic or moralistic. The core meaning is religious education.
Typically, 'Sunday' is capitalised as a day of the week, and 'school' is in lowercase unless it's part of an official title (e.g., 'St. Mary's Sunday School').
While traditionally for children, many churches now offer adult Christian education classes on Sundays, which are sometimes also called 'Sunday school' or 'Adult Sunday school'.
It originated in and is most associated with Christianity. However, it can be applied analogously to similar educational programmes in other religions (e.g., 'Jewish Sunday school'), though terms like 'Hebrew school' or 'Madrasa' are more specific.
A class held on Sundays, typically in a Christian church, to provide religious education to children.
Sunday school is usually informal, ecclesiastical in register.
Sunday school: in British English it is pronounced /ˌsʌn.deɪ ˈskuːl/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˌsʌn.deɪ ˈskuːl/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Preaching to the Sunday school (implying a simplistic audience)”
- “A regular Sunday school teacher (implies moral uprightness, sometimes ironically)”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: SUNday = day of worship, SCHOOL = place of learning. Learning on the day of worship.
Conceptual Metaphor
SCHOOL IS A PLACE FOR MORAL/RELIGIOUS FORMATION (The institution is metaphorically mapped onto the domain of education).
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following is the MOST accurate description of 'Sunday school' in its primary sense?