catholic

1 of 2

adjective

cath·​o·​lic ˈkath-lik How to pronounce catholic (audio)
ˈka-thə-
1
a
capitalized : roman catholic
Her son goes to a Catholic school.
b
often capitalized : of, relating to, or forming the church universal
c
often capitalized : of, relating to, or forming the ancient undivided Christian church or a church claiming historical continuity from it
2
: comprehensive, universal
especially : broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests
a catholic taste in music
catholically adverb
catholicize verb

Catholic

2 of 2

noun

Cath·​o·​lic ˈkath-lik How to pronounce Catholic (audio)
ˈka-thə-
1
: a member of a Catholic church
especially : roman catholic
2
: a person who belongs to the universal Christian church

Examples of catholic in a Sentence

Adjective She is a novelist who is catholic in her interests. a museum director with catholic tastes in art
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The brothers’ catholic influences range from local graffiti writers to Brazilian modernist painter Alfredo Volpi to American underground-comics illustrator Vaughn Bodē. Julie Belcove, Robb Report, 1 Sep. 2024 Team parents have made efforts to contact the superintendent of Archdiocese for support but got response that John Carroll is an independent catholic school. Sam Cohn, Baltimore Sun, 14 July 2023
Noun
The performance by the former Detroit Catholic Central standout sent the Tigers to the 1987 American League Championship Series for a matchup against the Minnesota Twins, the eventual World Series champions. Scott Talley, Detroit Free Press, 29 Sep. 2024 Proceeds benefit Diocesan Catholic Children’s Home. Luann Gibbs, The Enquirer, 29 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for catholic 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'catholic.' 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

Adjective

Middle English catholik, from Middle French & Late Latin; Middle French catholique, from Late Latin catholicus, from Greek katholikos universal, general, from katholou in general, from kata by + holos whole — more at cata-, safe

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1b

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of catholic was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near catholic

Cite this Entry

“Catholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catholic. Accessed 6 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

catholic

1 of 2 adjective
cath·​o·​lic ˈkath-(ə-)lik How to pronounce catholic (audio)
1
capitalized
a
: of or relating to the Christian church as a whole
2
: broad in sympathies, tastes, or interests
a catholic taste in music
Catholicism
kə-ˈthäl-ə-ˌsiz-əm
noun

Catholic

2 of 2 noun
1
2
: a member of the Roman Catholic church

More from Merriam-Webster on catholic

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