Catholicism

American  

[kuh-thol-uh-siz-uhm] / kəˈθɒl əˌsɪz əm /

noun

1. the faith, system, and practice of the Catholic Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church.

2. (lowercase) catholicity.

---

Catholicism British  

/ kəˈθɒlɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. short for Roman Catholicism

2. the beliefs, practices, etc, of any Catholic Church

---

Catholicism Cultural  

1. The beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.

---

Other Word Forms

• anti-Catholicism
  noun
• pro-Catholicism
  noun

---

Etymology

Origin of Catholicism

First recorded in 1600–10; Catholic + -ism

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Catholicism

A poll last year by the Observatory of French Catholicism, a nonprofit, found that 59% of people in France don’t believe in God.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Read more about what Pope Leo's visit means for France and the history of Catholicism in the country.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

It recognises Protestantism and Catholicism as official religions, but practising organisations must register with the government -- something many Christians feel yields an unacceptable amount of control over church affairs and teachings.

From Barron's ● Aug. 25, 2026

The personal struggle and public fight against Lineage has rekindled her Catholicism, the 52-year-old said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 8, 2026

I blended Catholicism with borrowed insights from Sartre and Zen and Buber and Miltonic Protestantism.

From "Hunger of Memory" by Richard Rodriguez

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---