ecumenical

American  

[ek-yoo-men-i-kuhl, ee-kyoo-] / ˈɛk yʊˈmɛn ɪ kəl, ˈi kyʊ- /

Archaic, ecumenic;

adjective

1. general; universal.

2. pertaining to the whole Christian church.

3. promoting or fostering Christian unity throughout the world.

4. of or relating to a movement ecumenical movement, especially among Protestant groups since the 1800s, aimed at achieving universal Christian unity and church union through international interdenominational organizations that cooperate on matters of mutual concern.

5. interreligious or interdenominational.

   an ecumenical marriage.

6. including or containing a mixture of diverse elements or styles; mixed.

   an ecumenical meal of German, Italian, and Chinese dishes.

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ecumenical British  

/ ˌɛk-, ˌiːkjʊˈmɛnɪkəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the Christian Church throughout the world, esp with regard to its unity

2. 1. tending to promote unity among Churches

   2. of or relating to the international movement initiated among non-Catholic Churches in 1910 aimed at Christian unity: embodied, since 1937, in the World Council of Churches

3. rare universal; general; worldwide

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Other Word Forms

• ecumenically
  adverb
• nonecumenic
  adjective
• nonecumenical
  adjective
• nonoecumenic
  adjective
• unoecumenic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of ecumenical

1835–45; < Late Latin oecumenicus belonging to the whole inhabited world (< Greek oikoumenikós, equivalent to oikoumen- (stem of passive present participle of oikeîn to inhabit) + -ikos -ic ) + -al ¹

Explanation

The adjective ecumenical refers to something universal, or something that has a wide, general application. You might refer to a wide assortment of ethnic foods served together as being ecumenical, and you'd be technically correct, as the word does mean something general and worldwide. But the term is most widely connected with religious unity, specifically Christianity. The original Greek root word, oikos, means "house," and that grew into the word oikoumenikós, which means "the entire world." Today it most often refers to bringing people of diverse Christian religions together; however, an ecumenical service might bring Christians, Jews, and Muslims together under one roof.

Example Sentences

Lacking options, many displaced people therefore have to find relatives who can host them or pay exorbitant rents to landlords, explained Fadi Al-Halabi, executive director in Lebanon of the Ecumenical Disability Advocates Network.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Leo is due to visit Iznik, as Nicaea is now called, on Friday together with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the most senior bishop in Eastern Orthodoxy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Ecumenical councils brought together bishops from the Roman East and West and issued decisions designed to be adopted universally.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

The independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine received formal recognition in 2019 from the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who has the top position of honor in Orthodoxy but not the universal power of a pope.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 26, 2023

And this volume is, in fact, a prelude to the treatment of the same subject in the last three centuries, down to the Ecumenical Council of the Vatican.

From Church and State as Seen in the Formation of Christendom by Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)

Related Words

• comprehensive