catholic

adjective cath·o·lic \ ˈkath-lik , ˈka-thə- \

Definition of catholic

1 a often capitalized :of, relating to, or forming the church universal

b often capitalized :of, relating to, or forming the ancient undivided Christian church or a church claiming historical continuity from it

c capitalized :roman catholic

Her son goes to a Catholic school.

2 :comprehensive, universal; especially :broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests

a catholic taste in music

—

catholically

play \kə-ˈthä-li-k(ə-)lē\ adverb

—

catholicize

play \-ˈthä-lə-ˌsīz\ verb

See catholic defined for English-language learners

See catholic defined for kids

Examples of catholic in a Sentence

She is a novelist who is catholic in her interests.
a museum director with catholic tastes in art

Recent Examples of catholic from the Web

In all, Amita will have 19 hospitals in the Chicago area, if the deal is approved by regulators and the Roman Catholic Church.

— lisa schencker, chicagotribune.com, "Amita Health seeks to move headquarters, 1,100 employees to Lisle," 24 Aug. 2017
Emmanuel Dubourg, a member of parliament and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party, met with nearly two dozen Haitian community leaders and immigration advocates at Notre Dame d’Haïti Catholic Church in Little Haïti.

— jacqueline charles, miamiherald, "To try to stem the illegal flow of Haitians, Canada dispatches lawmaker to Miami," 24 Aug. 2017
Here are the top 10 Catholic high schools in the country: 1.

— sam dangremond, Town & Country, "These Are the Top 10 Catholic High Schools in the Country," 14 Aug. 2017
Central Catholic to stage plays outdoors Aurora Central Catholic High School, 1255 N. Edgelawn Drive in Aurora, will stage takeoffs on two Shakespeare plays outdoors at the school at 6 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The public is invited.

— Aurora Beacon-News, "Aurora Central Catholic to stage plays outdoors," 12 July 2017
Trump said, in a message that may play better in largely Catholic Poland than elsewhere.

— stephen collinson, CNN, "Trump joins battle for the soul of the West -- to a point," 6 July 2017
Honorable mention Catholic Central: Haile Weis, sr.

— mark stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Softball all-conference teams," 5 July 2017
Europe was in chaos: Nation-states were forming, and Italy’s Giuseppe Garibaldi and German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck were leading anti-Catholic campaigns.

— joni sternbach, Smithsonian, "A Pittsburgh Church Holds the Greatest Collection of Relics Outside of the Vatican," 30 June 2017
A Catholic priest is facing an additional 2 years in prison after a sentencing hearing in Meade County Thursday for sexually abusing a boy at a summer camp in the 1970s.

— thomas novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Catholic priest now faces 9 years in prison for sexual abuse," 29 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'catholic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of catholic

Middle English catholik, from Medieval French & Late Latin; Medieval French catholique, from Late Latin catholicus, from Greek katholikos universal, general, from katholou in general, from kata by + holos whole — more at cata-, safe

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

catholic Synonyms

Synonyms

all-around (also all-round), all-purpose, general, general-purpose, unlimited, unqualified, unrestricted, unspecialized

Antonyms

limited, restricted, specialized, technical

Related Words

mixed-use, multipurpose; broad, wide; nonspecific, unspecified, vague

Near Antonyms

bounded, circumscribed, confined, definite, demarcated, determinate, finite, qualified; dedicated, selective

Other Christian Religious Terms

Pentateuch, blasphemy, curate, doxology, eremite, iconoclasm, liturgy, orison, pneuma, reliquary

Catholic

noun Cath·o·lic \ ˈkath-lik , ˈka-thə- \

Definition of Catholic

1 :a person who belongs to the universal Christian church

2 :a member of a Catholic church; especially :roman catholic

See Catholic defined for English-language learners

See Catholic defined for kids

Recent Examples of catholic from the Web

The overwhelming majority of the faculty, administration, students, parents, and alumni are good Catholics of strong faith.

— mark naymik, cleveland.com, "St. Ignatius alumni and parents react to story about theology teachers' departure: Mark Naymik," 20 June 2017
Chaldeans, who are Iraqi Catholics, have been active in both the Democratic and Republican parties in Michigan.

— niraj warikoo, Detroit Free Press, "Iraqi-American Christians disappointed with Trump," 19 June 2017
When President Donald Trump signed an executive order on religious liberty last month, he was surrounded in the White House Rose Garden by religious figures—Catholics, orthodox Jews, Sikhs and a host of evangelical Christians.

— ian lovett, WSJ, "Russell Moore, Baptist Leader Who Shunned Trump, Splits the Faithful," 9 June 2017
That Trump even had rosary beads was news -- practicing Catholics often use the beads for prayers, moving fingers along each bead to keep track of how many times each is said, and repeated.

— kate bennett, CNN, "Melania Trump is the first Catholic first lady since Jackie Kennedy," 25 May 2017
Catholics continued to bury at the old San Francisco Mission.

— shirley burgett, The Mercury News, "Matters Historical: How dead San Franciscans were moved to Colma," 16 May 2017
Catholics and others saw the work as disrespectful, and an attack on their faith and its teachings.

— bill glauber, jsonline.com, "Bradley Foundation a backstage player in arts institutions," 8 May 2017
For more-catholic eaters, knowing where ingredients come from and how to combine them into tasty meals provides its own gratifying sense of mastery.

— virginia postrel, The Denver Post, "When the perfect pairing with your meal is Instagram or Snapchat," 28 Apr. 2017
The left would be a more diverse coalition — black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics, white mainline Protestants, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and humanists might all join in, depending on the issue.

— julie zauzmer, Washington Post, "People are looking for a ‘Religious Left.’ This little-known network of clergy has been organizing it.," 26 Apr. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'Catholic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.