: an encyclical letter
specifically
: a papal letter to the bishops of the church as a whole or to those in one country
Examples of encyclical in a Sentence
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Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Proclamation in the shade I’m not the only one to raise this question about the Pope’s encyclical, of course.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Another incumbent is defeated in a primary, the pope releases his first encyclical, and the New York Knicks turn back the clock.
—Jeremy Mikula, NBC news, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for encyclical
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Adjective
Anthropic cofounder and head of research Chris Olah was in Vatican City when the pope released his encyclical this week to share concurring remarks.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Proclamation in the shade I’m not the only one to raise this question about the Pope’s encyclical, of course.
—Nate Anderson, ArsTechnica, 26 May 2026
Noun
Getty Images Just last week, on May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released Magnifica Humanitas, a major encyclical on safeguarding human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence.
—Steve Denning, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Another incumbent is defeated in a primary, the pope releases his first encyclical, and the New York Knicks turn back the clock.
—Jeremy Mikula, NBC news, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for encyclical
Cite this Entry
“Encyclical.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/encyclical. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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