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Synonyms

popery

American  
[poh-puh-ree] / ˈpoʊ pə ri /

noun

Disparaging.

  1. the Roman Catholic Church, especially its doctrines, ceremonies, and system of government.

popery British  
/ ˈpəʊpərɪ /

noun

  1. a derogatory name for Roman Catholicism

"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

Other Word Forms

  • antipopery noun

Etymology

Origin of popery

First recorded in 1525–35; pope + -ery

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

With so many important battles to be fought, does white magic still have a place in the world and is it even comparable to the witchery popery of 400 years ago?

From The Guardian • Feb. 16, 2019

A fear of popery might have appealed to some Tories.

From The Guardian • Jun. 21, 2016

And while Pope Francis may be the first actual pope to appear in a film, he'll be following a long and varied tradition of on-screen popery.

From The Verge • Feb. 2, 2016

In 1535, all books favouring popery were decreed to be “seditious books.”

From Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Disraeli, Isaac

But the jealousy of popery, now abroad in England, began to flame up in the colonies, and especially in Maryland, which, peopled chiefly by Protestants, was yet under the dominion of a Catholic.

From The American Quarterly Review No. XVIII, June 1831 (Vol 9) by Various

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.