catholicity

noun

cath·​o·​lic·​i·​ty ˌka-thə-ˈli-sə-tē How to pronounce catholicity (audio)
ˌkath-ˈli-
plural catholicities
1
capitalized : the character of being in conformity with a Catholic church
2
a
: liberality of sentiments or views
catholicity of viewpointW. V. O'Connor
c
: comprehensive range
catholicity of topics

Examples of catholicity in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web First: The 20th century’s bright lines between photographic genres, which made Avedon so anxious and led critics to dismiss all his imagery as one big Vogue shoot, had dissolved into the 21st century’s low-drama catholicity. Jason Farago, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2023 That Mikhail also owned his Night, from 1880, might speak to his diffusion but also to his catholicity. Brian T. Allen, National Review, 26 Feb. 2022 That catholicity and indifference to genre boundaries that Rock displays in his music also comes across in his politics. David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 13 July 2017 The catholicity of ChamberFest's programming results in sometimes interesting, sometimes peculiar juxtapositions. Special To The Plain Dealer, cleveland.com, 30 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catholicity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1704, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of catholicity was in 1704

Dictionary Entries Near catholicity

Cite this Entry

“Catholicity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catholicity. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on catholicity

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!