Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

conciliarism

noun
con·​cil·​i·​a·​rism | \ -ēəˌrizəm\
plural -s

Definition of conciliarism

: the theory of church government that places final ecclesiastical authority in representative church councils instead of in a papacy

Love words?

You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

Start your free trial today and get unlimited access to America's largest dictionary, with:

  • More than 250,000 words that aren't in our free dictionary
  • Expanded definitions, etymologies, and usage notes
  • Advanced search features
  • Ad free!

Learn More about conciliarism

Share conciliarism

Statistics for conciliarism

Look-up Popularity

Comments on conciliarism

What made you want to look up conciliarism? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

reverberate

Listen to the pronounciation of reverberate

to reflect, repel, echo, or resound

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Original Meanings Quiz

  • rembrandt-painting-a-young-scholar-and-his-tutor
  • Which of the following is the earliest known sense of the word awe?
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Word Winder's CrossWinder

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games