anti-Catholic

adjective

an·​ti-Cath·​o·​lic ˌan-tē-ˈkath-lik How to pronounce anti-Catholic (audio)
-ˈka-thə-,
ˌan-tī-
: opposed to or hostile toward the Catholic church
anti-Catholic sentiment
anti-Catholicism noun
Bowker speculates that Orwell's "Catholic education" may have been the source of the notorious anti-Catholicism of his later writings, … Stefan Collini

Examples of anti-Catholic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Other notes reference the Gordon Riots — an uprising in 1780 spurred by anti-Catholic sentiment — and the Mohocks, a violent gang of upper-class young men who got drunk and attacked people. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 5 Sep. 2025 So the Klan of the 1920s was not only anti-Black and anti-Asian, but equally anti-Catholic, antisemitic, and anti-Slav – all groups from the wrong side of Europe’s tracks that took their marching orders from Rome or Moscow. Jody Mamone, Hartford Courant, 15 Aug. 2025 As a Baptist preacher and an anti-Catholic demagogue, Catts played well to a certain constituency at the time. Orlando Sentinel, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2025 Yes, America has stumbled at times—anti-Catholic nativism, Mormon expulsions, and recent antisemitic and anti-Muslim acts have exposed gaps between ideal and reality. Kevin Sabet, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025 Even Prohibition was fueled by anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic bias. Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 9 May 2025 That lack of formal diplomatic relations was due in large part to anti-Catholic sentiment, said Kathleen Sprows Cummings, professor of American studies and history at the University of Notre Dame. Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 24 Mar. 2025 Trump, in particular, has been sounding off in rallies, social media and interviews against Harris, calling her anti-Catholic. Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1665, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of anti-Catholic was in 1665

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Cite this Entry

“Anti-Catholic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/anti-Catholic. Accessed 20 Sep. 2025.

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