Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Relating to or characteristic of the Roman Catholic Church: Used to describe something associated with the doctrines, practices, or authority of the Roman Catholic Church, often from a critical or hostile Protestant perspective.
   • Supportive of the Pope or the papal system: Pertaining to allegiance or adherence to the authority of the Pope.

Usage Notes

• The term "popish" is historically charged and often used in a derogatory or polemical context, particularly in Protestant critiques of Roman Catholicism. Its use in modern, neutral, or academic discourse is rare and can be considered offensive. It is primarily encountered in historical texts or from certain theological perspectives.

Examples

• Adjective:
  • The pamphlet condemned the king's popish sympathies. (The pamphlet condemned the king's Roman Catholic-leaning beliefs.)
  • They accused the ceremony of being popish and superstitious. (They accused the ceremony of being characteristic of Roman Catholic ritual and superstition.)

Advanced Usage

• "popish plot": A historical term referring to an alleged conspiracy by Roman Catholics, particularly in 17th-century England.
  • Titus Oates famously fabricated details of a popish plot to assassinate King Charles II.

Variants and Related Words

• Popery (n): A derogatory term for the practices and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church.
  • The preacher railed against the perceived evils of popery.

Synonyms

• Roman Catholic: (Neutral) Of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church.
• Papist / Papistic: (Often derogatory) Relating to the Pope or the Roman Catholic Church.

Antonyms

• Protestant: Of or relating to the churches originating from the Reformation.
• Reformed: Denoting Protestant churches, especially Calvinist ones.

Related Idioms/Phrases

• No popery: A historical slogan expressing opposition to Roman Catholicism.
  • The crowd chanted "No popery!" during the protest.

Adjective

1. of or relating to or supporting Romanism
   • the Roman Catholic Church