DictionaryAI

catholic

Catholic adjective · Catholic noun · adjective
KATH-lik/ˈkæ.θ(ə.)lɪk/

6 meanings of catholic

Practice

  1. 1
    churchadjective · Catholic
    Connected with the Catholic Church, the Christian church led by the Pope.

    Maria goes to a Catholic school near her house.

    Her grandparents are Catholic and go to Mass every Sunday.

    UsageWrite it with a capital C: a Catholic school.

  2. 2
    noun · Catholiccountable
    Someone who belongs to a Catholic church.

    My grandmother is a Catholic and goes to church every Sunday.

    Many Catholics in our town help at the soup kitchen.

    UsageWrite it with a capital C: a Catholic, two Catholics.

    Note
  3. 3
    broadadjective
    Including many different kinds of things, especially when talking about someone's tastes or interests.

    My dad has catholic taste in music: he likes jazz, rap and opera.

    Her reading is very catholic, from comics to history books.

    UsageWrite it with a small c, as in catholic tastes or catholic interests.

    Note

Less common meanings

  1. 4
    universaladjective
    Interesting or useful to all people everywhere.

    Music with a catholic appeal can make people in every country smile.

    Funny stories about family life have catholic appeal, so readers everywhere enjoy them.

    Similaruniversal, general

    Oppositelocal

    Note
  2. 5
    adjectiveobsolete
    Common in many places, and often found everywhere.
    Note
  3. 6
    adjectiveobsolete
    Of a medicine, able to be used for any illness.
    Note

Practice

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Origin

From a Greek word meaning "universal", made from words meaning "according to" and "whole".

Checked 7 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

  • Catholic derives from Greek καθολικός, meaning "universal", formed from κατά, meaning "according to", and ὅλος, meaning "whole". en.wiktionary.org