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.

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Catholicism British  

/ kəˈθɒlɪˌsɪzəm /

noun

1. short for Roman Catholicism

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

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Catholicism Cultural  

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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• pro-Catholicism
  noun
• anti-Catholicism
  noun

Etymology

Origin of Catholicism

First recorded in 1600–10; Catholic + -ism

Example Sentences

Leo's predecessor Francis largely overlooked many of Europe's traditional bastions of Catholicism where, like Spain, religious observance has been falling rapidly.

From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026

Catholicism is now listed under a single designation under Christianity without similar distinctions of their denominations.

From Salon • Jun. 6, 2026

After his death, public commentators debated whether he, a lifelong evangelical, was on the verge of converting to Catholicism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

In the years since, both have turned to Catholicism, which they say has helped them come to terms with the loss of Rachel.

From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026

By the eleventh century CE, Christianity in the form of Catholicism was the dominant religion in Europe, and church leaders held a great deal of political power.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz