ecumenical

[ ek-yoo-men-i-kuhl or, especially British, ee-kyoo- ]

/ ˈɛk yʊˈmɛn ɪ kəl or, especially British, ˈi kyʊ- /

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See synonyms for ecumenical on Thesaurus.com

adjective

general; universal.

pertaining to the whole Christian church.

promoting or fostering Christian unity throughout the world.

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.

interreligious or interdenominational: an ecumenical marriage.

including or containing a mixture of diverse elements or styles; mixed: an ecumenical meal of German, Italian, and Chinese dishes.

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Also ec·u·men·ic; Archaic, oec·u·men·i·cal, oec·u·men·ic.

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) + -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM ecumenical

ec·u·men·i·cal·ly, adverbnon·ec·u·men·ic, adjectivenon·ec·u·men·i·cal, adjectivenon·oec·u·men·ic, adjective

un·oec·u·men·ic, adjective

Words nearby ecumenical

ECU, Ecua., Ecuador, Ecuadorean, ecumene, ecumenical, ecumenical council, ecumenicalism, ecumenical movement, ecumenical patriarch, ecumenicism

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

How to use ecumenical in a sentence

Neal is really a lovely and brilliant, gentle soul, and he’s a spiritual seeker also, although very ecumenical.
Anne Lamott’s Advice Could Stop You From Drowning in Cynicism|Susanna Schrobsdorff|September 23, 2021|Time
Küng moved to a different department at Tübingen as a professor of ecumenical theology and as director of the university’s Institute for Ecumenical Research.
Hans Küng, Catholic theologian who challenged papal authority, dies at 93|Matt Schudel|April 9, 2021|Washington Post
Where are the Jewish leaders, who led an ecumenical campaign to free Soviet Jewry that inspired people all over the world?
Communism's Victims Deserve a Museum|James Kirchick|August 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To celebrate together, after 17centuries, the first truly ecumenical synod.
Plotting Nicea III Could Be Pope Francis's Masterstroke|Candida Moss|June 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Benjamin Franklin believed in prayer but stressed the importance of ecumenical “public religion.”
Six Catholics, Three Jews and Not Much Memory at the Supreme Court|Jonathan Alter|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In his majority opinion, Kennedy tried to argue that the court was merely upholding that ecumenical tradition.
Six Catholics, Three Jews and Not Much Memory at the Supreme Court|Jonathan Alter|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When I commented that he was surprisingly ecumenical for an exorcist, he smiled.
My $295 Skype Exorcism|Scott Bixby|February 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was also a guarantee of full liberty for future conclaves and ecumenical councils.
The War Upon Religion|Rev. Francis A. Cunningham
The constitutio de fide has been adopted by the Ecumenical Council, nemine contradicente.
Punchinello, Vol. 1, No. 7, May 14, 1870|Various
Our present problems are said to be waiting for the next Ecumenical Council.
The Best of the World's Classics, Restricted to Prose, Vol. VIII (of X) - Continental Europe II.|Various
Why not call an ecumenical council, appoint a commission to see to such things, and then forget the sacrilege?
Damn!|Henry Louis Mencken
As an ecclesiastical title it was used to imply, not universal (ecumenical), but a great and widespread jurisdiction.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5|Various

British Dictionary definitions for ecumenical

ecumenical

oecumenical ecumenic or oecumenic

/ (ˌiːkjʊˈmɛnɪkəl, ˌɛk-) /

adjective

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

tending to promote unity among Churches
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

rare universal; general; worldwide

Derived forms of ecumenical

ecumenically or oecumenically, adverb

Word Origin for ecumenical

C16: via Late Latin from Greek oikoumenikos, from oikein to inhabit, from oikos house

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

ecumenical

Origin of ecumenical

OTHER WORDS FROM ecumenical

Words nearby ecumenical

Words related to ecumenical

How to use ecumenical in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ecumenical

oecumenical ecumenic or oecumenic

Derived forms of ecumenical

Word Origin for ecumenical