Roman Catholic

1 of 2

noun

: a member of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a Christian church having a hierarchy of priests and bishops under the pope, a liturgy centered in the Mass, veneration of the Virgin Mary and saints, clerical celibacy, and a body of dogma including transubstantiation and papal infallibility

Examples of Roman Catholic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Most recently, a local bought it as a flip property in 2024 and had been trying to sell it earlier this year — as the Roman Catholic Church was undergoing a seismic change in leadership. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 3 July 2025 Papal funerals by the Roman Catholic Church typically draw millions of mourners to Rome, including some world leaders. Alexis Simmerman, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 The term conclave refers to a private meeting or secret assembly, especially a meeting of Roman Catholic cardinals secluded continuously while choosing a pope, according to merriam-webster.com. Chris Sims, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025 The Roman Catholic Church has about 1.3 billion members worldwide, and papal funerals typically draw millions of mourners to Rome. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for Roman Catholic

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1581, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Roman Catholic was in 1581

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Cite this Entry

“Roman Catholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Roman%20Catholic. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

Roman Catholic

adjective
: of or relating to the body of Christians having levels of authority under the pope, a liturgy centered in the Mass, and a body of beliefs laid down by the church as the only interpreter of revealed truth
Roman Catholic noun
Roman Catholicism noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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