Roman Catholic

American  

adjective

1. of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church.

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noun

1. a member of the Roman Catholic Church.

Roman Catholic British  

adjective

1. of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church

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noun

1. a member of this Church

Etymology

Origin of Roman Catholic

First recorded in 1595–1605

Compare meaning

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

• Eastern Orthodox vs. Roman Catholic

Example Sentences

Neither of them made any substantive changes to core Roman Catholic doctrine, but when you’re the bishop of Rome and the head of the world’s largest single religious denomination, practice matters more than theory.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

The late Pope Francis, who died last year after leading the Roman Catholic Church for more than a decade, chose his name and modelled his papacy after the radical humility of Saint Francis.

From BBC • Feb. 22, 2026

Educated by the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy, she worked filing letters and on a switchboard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 20, 2026

According to the last census, more than 90 percent of Croatia's 3.8 million people are ethnic Croats, while about 80 percent are Roman Catholic.

From Barron's • Feb. 16, 2026

Bobby’s aide or so-called second at the tournament was his close friend and fellow Jack Collins student William Lombardy, a portly twenty-year-old seminarian who was studying to become a Roman Catholic priest.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady