burned-over district

proper noun

A nickname for portions of Western New York State, where there was much religious fervor during the Second Great Awakening.

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Meanings

burned-over district1

proper noun
  1. Alternative letter-case form of Burned-Over District.

Burned-Over District2

proper noun

alternative burned-over district

  1. A nickname for portions of Western New York State, where there was much religious fervor during the Second Great Awakening.

Origin

Coined by Charles Grandison Finney, who in his 1876 book Autobiography of Charles G. Finney referred to a "burnt district" to denote an area in central and western New York State during the Second Great Awakening. He felt that the area had been so heavily evangelized as to have no "fuel" (unconverted population) left over to "burn" (convert).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

burned-over district. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burned-over%20district

MLA

“burned-over district.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burned-over%20district. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “burned-over district,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/burned-over%20district.

Source: burned-over district on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.