Catholicism

[ kuh-thol-uh-siz-uhm ]

/ kəˈθɒl əˌsɪz əm /

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noun

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

(lowercase) catholicity.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of Catholicism

First recorded in 1600–10; Catholic + -ism

OTHER WORDS FROM Catholicism

an·ti-Ca·thol·i·cism, nounpro-Ca·thol·i·cism, noun

Words nearby Catholicism

Catholic Apostolic Church, catholicate, Catholic Church, Catholic Emancipation Act, Catholic Epistles, Catholicism, catholicity, catholicize, catholicon, catholicos, catholicus

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use Catholicism in a sentence

An excellent argument against Roman Catholicism I would say, and Greene might well stare in blank incomprehension at my pages.
The Thief of Words: Starling Lawrence|Jill Bialosky|October 11, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Such revelations seem like the dream come true of know-nothing anti-Catholicism.
The Vatican's Sex Cover-up|James Carroll|March 11, 2010|DAILY BEAST
As the saying goes, anti-Catholicism is the anti-Semitism of the intellectual class.
The Audacity of Poping|Christopher Buckley|March 26, 2009|DAILY BEAST
That's another story, and Doubt limns the particular joylessness of Irish Catholicism.
We Miserable Catholics|Frank McCourt|December 19, 2008|DAILY BEAST

Roman Catholicism in England has shown a tendency to advance, especially among the upper and upper-middle classes.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 4|Various
The oaths were based on a real fear which identified Roman Catholicism with treason.
Virginia Under Charles I And Cromwell, 1625-1660|Wilcomb E. Washburn
Wolken of Ratisbon, a convert to Roman Catholicism in the second half of the fifteenth century.
Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ|Rev. A. Bernstein, B.D.
The history of German Catholicism proves once more that the Church is never more admirable than when she is persecuted.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea
Treitschke has fought Roman Catholicism and its champions, the Jesuits, with relentless hate.
German Problems and Personalities|Charles Sarolea

British Dictionary definitions for Catholicism

Catholicism

/ (kəˈθɒlɪˌsɪzəm) /

noun

short for Roman Catholicism

the beliefs, practices, etc, of any Catholic Church

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Catholicism

Catholicism

The beliefs and practices of the Roman Catholic Church.