apostolic
adjective
ap·os·tol·ic
| \ ˌa-pə-ˈstä-lik
\
\
Definition of apostolic
1a
: of or relating to an apostle
b
: of, relating to, or conforming to the teachings of the New Testament apostles
2a
: of or relating to a succession of spiritual authority from the apostles held (as by Roman Catholics, Anglicans, and Eastern Orthodox) to be perpetuated by successive ordinations of bishops and to be necessary for valid sacraments and orders
b
: papal
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Other Words from apostolic
apostolicity
\ ə-ˌpäs-tə-ˈli-sə-tē
\
noun
\
noun
Examples of apostolic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Holy See insisted on the pope's right to name bishops to preserve the apostolic succession that dates to Jesus' original apostles. — Nicole Winfield, Fox News, "Pope acknowledges China bishop deal will cause suffering," 25 Sep. 2018 The Holy See insisted on the pope’s right to name bishops to preserve the apostolic succession that dates to Jesus’ original apostles. — Nicole Winfield, The Seattle Times, "Pope acknowledges China bishop deal will cause suffering," 25 Sep. 2018 To guide the dioceses for now that Pellegrin Barrera and Contreras Molina had been leading, Francis appointed apostolic administrators. — Frances D'emilio, Fox News, "Pope lets more bishops go as part of Chile sex abuse fallout," 21 Sep. 2018 The Vatican said Sunday that Bishop Gregory O'Kelly, an Adelaide native, will serve as apostolic administrator for the Adelaide archdiocese. — Fox News, "Pope: new bishop replaces convicted Australian cleric," 3 June 2018 Since becoming the bishop of Rome, the pontiff has published an apostolic exhortation deeply critical of unfettered capitalism, repeatedly offered vocal support for immigrants and produced an encyclical calling for action on climate change. — Jack Jenkins, USA TODAY, "Pope Francis is still popular, but warm feelings waning among conservatives, survey finds," 7 Mar. 2018 The contrast of styles — of music (apostolic gospel versus hip-hop) and of clothes (opulent dresses and hats and high heels versus Yolanda’s baseball cap, camouflage pants, and high-top sneakers), is ultimately a contrast of values. — Toby Zinman, Philly.com, "'Crowns' at McCarter Theatre in Princeton: A celebration of church hats, rhythm, dancing, and history," 19 Mar. 2018 Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the apostolic administrator of Jerusalem, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, crossed through an Israeli military checkpoint to enter Bethlehem from Jerusalem. — Time, "Violence in Jerusalem Puts a Damper on Bethlehem Christmas Celebrations," 26 Dec. 2017 Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the apostolic administrator of Jerusalem, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, crossed through an Israeli military checkpoint to enter Bethlehem from Jerusalem. — Time, "Violence in Jerusalem Puts a Damper on Bethlehem Christmas Celebrations," 26 Dec. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'apostolic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for apostolic
apostolic
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of apostolic
: of or relating to the original 12 apostles
: of or relating to the pope
See the full definition for apostolic in the English Language Learners Dictionary
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