High Church

American  

adjective

(sometimes lowercase)

1. pertaining to the view or practice in the Anglican church that emphasizes the Catholic tradition, especially in adherence to sacraments, rituals, and obedience to church authority.

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High Church British  

noun

1. the party or movement within the Church of England stressing continuity with Catholic Christendom, the authority of bishops, and the importance of sacraments, rituals, and ceremonies Compare Broad Church Low Church

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adjective

1. of or relating to this party or movement

Other Word Forms

• High Churchman noun
• High-Churchman noun

Etymology

Origin of High Church

First recorded in 1695–1705

Compare meaning

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

• High Church vs. Low Church

Example Sentences

I remember what it was like before — being in a brightly lit library, feet on the floor, books in front of me, the High Church of authority very much intact.

From New York Times • Jan. 30, 2018

He is nostalgic and wistful, and his verse settles on the immutability of country lanes and thatched inns and of High Church Anglicanism.

From Washington Post • Aug. 5, 2016

The author would later write, “Had we not High Church and Low Church among our ordinary bishops … we should miss much that we feel to be ornamental to the Establishment and useful to ourselves.”

From Slate • Jul. 28, 2016

I have always preferred early Eliot – I still think Prufrock the greatest of the poems – and this preachy, prosy, High Church sentiment has never been to my taste.

From The Guardian • Jan. 7, 2011

The clergy, however, of an Episcopal Church, and one which laid claim to Apostolical succession, was sure in time to come round to High Church doctrine.

From Oxford and Her Colleges by Smith, Goldwin