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

Tracy was raised Roman Catholic in the midcentury with all its attendant repression. —Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025

The sample included religious leaders from fundamentalist and evangelical churches, Baptists, Methodists, Black protestants, Roman Catholic denominations and more – all recruited to match the proportions of churches across the country. —Gregg Sparkman, The Conversation, 2 Apr. 2025

At the end of the ninth century, a group of Roman Catholic monks in France struck out on their own. —Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2025

Pope Francis has named an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Baltimore the next bishop, or top official, of the Diocese of Providence, a 153-year-old ecclesiastical territory of the Roman Catholic Church. —Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 8 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1581, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1614, in the meaning defined above

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