catholic

1 of 3

adjective

cath·​o·​lic ˈkath-lik How to pronounce catholic (audio)
ˈka-thə-
Synonyms of catholicnext
1
a
Catholic : roman catholic
Her son goes to a Catholic school.
b
often Catholic : of, relating to, or forming the church universal
c
often Catholic : 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
kə-ˈthä-li-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce catholic (audio)
adverb
catholicize
kə-ˈthä-lə-ˌsīz How to pronounce catholic (audio)
verb

Catholic

2 of 3

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

catholicize

3 of 3

verb

ca·​thol·​i·​cize kə-ˈthä-lə-ˌsīz How to pronounce catholicize (audio)
-ed/-ing/-s
often capitalized

transitive verb

: to make Catholic
specifically : romanize

intransitive verb

: to become Catholic
specifically : romanize

Synonyms of catholic

Relevance

Adjective

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
And the story was about King George IV of England, then the Prince of Wales, and his deep infatuation with a Catholic commoner, Maria Fitzherbert. — Jacqui Palumbo, CNN Money, 3 Aug. 2026 Last November, the group is believed to have kidnapped about three hundred students from a Catholic school, some as young as five. — Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Noun
Rangers famously had an unwritten policy against signing Catholic players, which was smashed in 1989 when former Celtic striker Mo Johnston joined from French club Nantes. — Tim Spiers, New York Times, 9 Aug. 2026 For generations, the 103-year-old Catholic parish has been a beacon of solace and resistance for residents angry about the latest indignity to befall the historic heart of Latino Los Angeles. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for catholic

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

and Verb

First Known Use

Adjective

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

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

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

Phrases Containing catholic

Browse Nearby Words

cathole
catholic
Catholic
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Catholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/catholic. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

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
b
: roman catholic
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
: christian entry 1 sense 2
2
: a member of the Roman Catholic church

More from Merriam-Webster on catholic

Nglish: Translation of catholic for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about catholic

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
fridge-magnet-letters
Drop a Letter Quiz August 2026 Drop a letter from a word to make a totally diffe...
See All