1
a
capitalized
: roman catholic
Her son goes to a Catholic school.
b
often capitalized
: of, relating to, or forming the church universal
c
often capitalized
: of, relating to, or forming the ancient undivided Christian church or a church claiming historical continuity from it
2
: comprehensive, universal
especially
: broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests
a catholic taste in music
1
: a member of a Catholic church
especially
: roman catholic
2
: a person who belongs to the universal Christian church
Synonyms
Examples of catholic in a Sentence
Adjective
She is a novelist who is catholic in her interests.
a museum director with catholic tastes in art
Recent Examples on the Web
Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 14 July 2023
Aclose friend, an art historian with good, catholic taste, sent me a text message from the high-end opening of the Armory Show.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
Only God can enlighten the hearts of the faithful to preserve us in the profession of the same catholic faith.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
These catholic tastes are unusual, especially since herpesviruses usually stick to one specific host.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012
Play is the substrate of autoconstrucción and its driving force, even as Cruzvillegas alternately breaks up and buttresses the idea with a catholic range of historical and artistic touchpoints, interests and memories.
—Christina Catherine Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2022
The opponents received the bulk of their money from Right to Life Michigan and the state's catholic conference.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2022
Godard, along with his friends and colleagues François Truffaut, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, and Éric Rohmer (who was also the group’s elder statesman) shared a catholic love of movies.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2022
But his photography is at the heart of his catholic creativity.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 June 2022
John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
The Catholic Charities of Louisville organization is urging people to help provide for the struggling refugees and immigrants who are seeking a life that is better than their past.
—The Courier-Journal, 29 Mar. 2024
The school boards in Canada suing are the Toronto District School Board, the Peel District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
—Rob Gillies, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The couple had dreamed of sending Alexander to Good Shepherd Catholic School in West Kendall, but said the tuition cost was too high to justify for their family of five.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
The result has been a series of unsettling incidents that have transpired near or even inside Catholic Charities facilities in what officials say is a rapidly growing threat to their safety.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 Mar. 2024
Argentina’s poverty rate is over 50%, according to a report from the Argentina’s Catholic University in Buenos Aires.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Since then, the Catholic Church–as well as adjacent Christian faiths–have certainly spread the gospel about eating fish at the end of the week, leading to a multitude of fish-and-chip shops in the U.K. and annual firehall dinners in the Midwest.
—Shane Mitchell, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
During the Middle Ages, eggs became prevalent during the Easter holiday since Catholic Christians refrained from eating eggs during Lent, but indulged in them once Easter arrived.
—Sarah Mosqueda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Team parents have made efforts to contact the superintendent of Archdiocese for support but got response that John Carroll is an independent catholic school.
—Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 14 July 2023
Aclose friend, an art historian with good, catholic taste, sent me a text message from the high-end opening of the Armory Show.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 15 Sep. 2022
Only God can enlighten the hearts of the faithful to preserve us in the profession of the same catholic faith.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
These catholic tastes are unusual, especially since herpesviruses usually stick to one specific host.
—Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 16 Aug. 2012
Play is the substrate of autoconstrucción and its driving force, even as Cruzvillegas alternately breaks up and buttresses the idea with a catholic range of historical and artistic touchpoints, interests and memories.
—Christina Catherine Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2022
The opponents received the bulk of their money from Right to Life Michigan and the state's catholic conference.
—Dave Boucher, Detroit Free Press, 29 Oct. 2022
Godard, along with his friends and colleagues François Truffaut, Jacques Rivette, Claude Chabrol, and Éric Rohmer (who was also the group’s elder statesman) shared a catholic love of movies.
—Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2022
But his photography is at the heart of his catholic creativity.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 June 2022
Noun
Rancho Bernardo scored six runs in the sixth inning to wipe out a one-run deficit and beat Cathedral Catholic 9-4 to win the Open Division championship at the 74th Lions Tournament.
—John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Mar. 2024
The Catholic Charities of Louisville organization is urging people to help provide for the struggling refugees and immigrants who are seeking a life that is better than their past.
—The Courier-Journal, 29 Mar. 2024
The school boards in Canada suing are the Toronto District School Board, the Peel District School Board, the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.
—Rob Gillies, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
The couple had dreamed of sending Alexander to Good Shepherd Catholic School in West Kendall, but said the tuition cost was too high to justify for their family of five.
—Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
The result has been a series of unsettling incidents that have transpired near or even inside Catholic Charities facilities in what officials say is a rapidly growing threat to their safety.
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 29 Mar. 2024
Argentina’s poverty rate is over 50%, according to a report from the Argentina’s Catholic University in Buenos Aires.
—Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, 28 Mar. 2024
Since then, the Catholic Church–as well as adjacent Christian faiths–have certainly spread the gospel about eating fish at the end of the week, leading to a multitude of fish-and-chip shops in the U.K. and annual firehall dinners in the Midwest.
—Shane Mitchell, Saveur, 28 Mar. 2024
During the Middle Ages, eggs became prevalent during the Easter holiday since Catholic Christians refrained from eating eggs during Lent, but indulged in them once Easter arrived.
—Sarah Mosqueda, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catholic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near catholic
Cite this Entry
“Catholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catholic. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
catholic
1 of 2 adjective
cath·o·lic
ˈkath-(ə-)lik 
1
2
: broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests
a catholic taste in music
Catholicism
noun
kə-ˈthäl-ə-ˌsiz-əm
Catholic
2 of 2 noun2
: a member of the Roman Catholic church
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