Roman Catholic

1 of 2

noun

: a member of the Roman Catholic Church

Roman Catholic

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, or being a Christian church having a hierarchy of priests and bishops under the pope, a liturgy centered in the Mass, veneration of the Virgin Mary and saints, clerical celibacy, and a body of dogma including transubstantiation and papal infallibility

Examples of Roman Catholic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The individual – who is seen in surveillance photos wearing a blue suit and a black shirt – entered the American Martyrs Roman Catholic Church on Sunday ahead of a 12:30 p.m. mass, according to Fox5 NY. Greg Norman, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2024 The Dominican Order — one of the four orders of the Roman Catholic Church — was known as the Jacobin Order in France. Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 The Vatican’s Go-To Guy on A.I.: Paolo Benanti advises the Roman Catholic Church and the Italian government on the tricky questions, moral and otherwise, raised by a rapidly advancing technology. Vivian Wang, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 The play was decried as heresy by the French Roman Catholic Church, which banned it and threatened those who watched or performed it with excommunication. David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 The next day, everyone headed to the Mount Zion Roman Catholic Franciscan Cemetery. Scott Feinberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024 Cecelia Price, spokeswoman for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville, told The Courier Journal the teacher was found to have driven alone in his car with a child on one occasion in October 2022, which violates rules for faculty. Lucas Aulbach, The Courier-Journal, 21 Feb. 2024 Saint Alphonsus Liguori Roman Catholic Church Where: 1870 W. Oak St., Zionsville When:5-8:00 p.m., every Friday through March 22 The Knights of Columbus fish fry at Saint Alphonsus features an adult menu ($7-14) and kids meals ($5) for ages 6-12. The Indianapolis Star, 15 Feb. 2024 In 2022, Denver and Colorado came together to celebrate this notable woman; recognized as a Saint by the Roman Catholic Church. Jamie Torres, The Denver Post, 15 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Roman Catholic.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1581, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1614, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of Roman Catholic was in 1581

Dictionary Entries Near Roman Catholic

Cite this Entry

“Roman Catholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Roman%20Catholic. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

Roman Catholic

adjective
: of or relating to the body of Christians having levels of authority under the pope, a liturgy centered in the Mass, and a body of beliefs laid down by the church as the only interpreter of revealed truth
Roman Catholic noun
Roman Catholicism noun
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!