High Church

American  

adjective

(sometimes lowercase)

1. pertaining to the view or practice in the Anglican church that emphasizes the Catholic tradition, especially in adherence to sacraments, rituals, and obedience to church authority.

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High Church British  

noun

1. the party or movement within the Church of England stressing continuity with Catholic Christendom, the authority of bishops, and the importance of sacraments, rituals, and ceremonies Compare Broad Church Low Church

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adjective

1. of or relating to this party or movement

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• High-Churchman
  noun
• High Churchman
  noun

Etymology

Origin of High Church

First recorded in 1695–1705

Compare meaning

How does high-church compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• High Church vs. Low Church

Example Sentences

The outdoor area at Yarm Wellness, on the corner of West Street and High Church Wynd, will officially open to the public at 13:30 BST on Saturday.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

It was “no accident,” the young Professor Bloom wrote, “that the poets brought into favor by the New Criticism were Catholics or High Church Anglicans.”

From New York Times • Oct. 14, 2019

That’s fine if you’re trying to abolish slavery, but Hollywood’s Biggest Night deserves High Church Episcopalian pomp and circumstance at the very least!

From Slate • Jan. 12, 2019

He is nostalgic and wistful, and his verse settles on the immutability of country lanes and thatched inns and of High Church Anglicanism.

From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2016

The majority of the New Zealanders are Christians, and belong almost exclusively to the High Church of England.

From Narrative of the Circumnavigation of the Globe by the Austrian Frigate Novara, Volume III (Commodore B. Von Wullerstorf-Urbair,) Undertaken by Order of the Imperial Government in the Years 1857, 1858, & 1859, Under the Immediate Auspices of His I. and R. Highness the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian, Commander-In-Chief of the Austrian Navy. by Scherzer, Karl Ritter von