ecumenical

adjective

ec·u·men·i·cal ˌe-kyə-ˈme-ni-kəl

-kyü-

: of, relating to, or representing the whole of a body of churches

: promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation

: worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application

ecumenically

ˌe-kyə-ˈme-ni-k(ə-)lē

-kyü-

adverb

Examples of ecumenical in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web This is an ecumenical Christian group that includes the Catholic Latin patriarch of Jerusalem. —

William McGurn, WSJ, 23 Oct. 2023 Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, a conservative ecumenical Washington think tank, welcomed Sunday's vote. —

Frank E. Lockwood, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2023 Such ephemeral accommodations are a drastic change for Antakya, a city with thousands of years of history, where intermixed churches and mosques recalled an ecumenical past, shoppers bought local sweets and cheeses in an arched bazaar and flowering bougainvillea climbed the walls of stone houses. —

Nimet Kirac Nicole Tung, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2023 Pope Francis speaks at an ecumenical gathering in the Hun Theater in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. —

David Noyce, The Salt Lake Tribune, 14 Sep. 2023 Daryl and his charges travel via checkpoints manned by an ecumenical network of faith-minded communities who all believe in Laurent’s messianic potential. —

Jessica Liese, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023 An ecumenical streak is evident, too, particularly in the uproarious story the comic tells about his family yielding one December to the prevailing American custom and staging a full-out Christmas for a grieving gentile friend. —

Peter Marks, Washington Post, 27 June 2023 There will be an evening concert with singer Peabo Bryson and others on June 24 at 8 p.m. On Sunday, June 25, an ecumenical service will include a gospel concert. —

al, 18 June 2023 Throughout the 20th century, many American towns enjoyed the connective tissue that these typically Christian, but ecumenical, groups provided. —

Courtney E. Martin, The Christian Science Monitor, 6 June 2023 See More

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

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin oecumenicus, from Late Greek oikoumenikos, from Greek oikoumenē the inhabited world, from feminine of oikoumenos, present passive participle of oikein to inhabit, from oikos house — more at vicinity

First Known Use

circa 1587, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of ecumenical was circa 1587

See more words from the same year