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

The Church of England became the country's state establishment church following King Henry VIII's split from the Roman Catholic Church in the 1530s.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

In 1274, the Roman Catholic Church questioned the order's legitimacy because it had been founded after 1215 and lacked a continuous presence dating back to late antiquity.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

Many went to church in this overwhelmingly Roman Catholic nation.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 4, 2026

He and his brothers attended a Roman Catholic high school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 29, 2025

It is called Giordano Bruno after the sixteenth-century Roman Catholic scholar who held that there are an infinity of worlds and that many are inhabited.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan