Meaning & use
encyclical
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Meaning
nouncountable
An official letter from the Pope to the whole Catholic Church, usually about beliefs or moral issues.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an encyclical' or 'encyclicals'.
Patterns
- an encyclical on something
- issue an encyclical
- write an encyclical
The Pope issued an encyclical on climate change.
She studied the encyclical carefully to understand the Church's position.
The encyclical was read aloud in churches around the world.
Word forms
| plural | encyclicals |
|---|
Common combinations
- papal encyclical
- The papal encyclical addressed modern social problems.
- encyclical on
- He wrote a book about the encyclical on faith and reason.
- issue an encyclical
- The Vatican issued an encyclical last month.
- encyclical letter
- The encyclical letter was published in several languages.
Synonyms and how they differ
- papal letter
- A more general term; an encyclical is a specific type of papal letter.
- bull
- A bull is another kind of papal document, often with a seal, but not the same as an encyclical.
Word family
- encyclical adjective
- Relating to an encyclical, as in 'encyclical letter'.
Commonly confused: encyclical or encyclopedia?
encyclical vs encyclopedia
An encyclopedia is a book or set of books with information on many subjects; an encyclical is a letter from the Pope.
Practice
The Pope wrote a(n) _____ about the importance of peace.
Choose one answer.
An encyclical is a formal letter from the Pope. 'Encyclopedia' is a reference book; 'editorial' is a newspaper article; 'manifesto' is a public declaration of policy, often political.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “encyclical”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.