ecumenical

adjective

ec·​u·​men·​i·​cal ˌe-kyə-ˈme-ni-kəl 

-kyü-

1

a

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

b

: promoting or tending toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation

2

: 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

Beneath the Sistine Chapel’s magnificent vaulted ceiling, painted by Michelangelo, Charles and Pope Leo XIV prayed together in a special ecumenical service – a first since at least the Reformation. —Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 23 Oct. 2025

The King, 76, participated in a solemn ecumenical service alongside the Pope in the Sistine Chapel during a spiritual highlight of his day-long visit to the Vatican on Thursday, October 23. —Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025

The ecumenical organist has also served a Disciples of Christ congregation in Dallas. —Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2025

Since the 1950s, this ecumenical service — welcoming for people of all faiths and belief systems — has been a sort of opening ceremony attended by many Supreme Court justices. —Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 9 Oct. 2025

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

Phrases Containing ecumenical

• ecumenical patriarch

Rhymes for ecumenical

• oecumenical

Kids Definition

ecumenical

adjective

ec·​u·​men·​i·​cal ˌek-yə-ˈmen-i-kəl 

1

: worldwide or general in extent, influence, or application

2

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

3

: leading toward agreement or cooperation among Christians

ecumenically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Etymology

from Latin oecumenicus "worldwide," from Greek oikoumenē "the inhabited world," from oikein "to inhabit," from oikos "house"