noun
Catholic
KATH-lihk
noun
1
A member of the Roman Catholic Church or another Catholic denomination.
"She was raised Catholic and attends Mass every Sunday."
adj
1
Broad-ranging or universal in scope, especially in taste or interest (lowercase, non-religious use).
"He has catholic tastes in music, from jazz to death metal."
How to Use Catholic
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishCapital-C Catholic refers to the Church; lowercase catholic means wide-ranging or all-embracing.
Common mistake
Don't confuse the lowercase adjective ("broad, universal") with the religious noun — capitalization changes the meaning.
Word Forms
Catholics plural
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She was raised _____ and attends Mass every Sunday.
Etymology
From Greek katholikos, "universal," from kata ("according to") + holos ("whole"). The religious sense capitalizes the word; the "universal/broad" sense usually stays lowercase.