adj · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
UK:/ˌiːk.jʊˈmɛ.nɪ.kəl/
UK:/ˌɛk.jʊˈmɛ.nɪ.kəl/
US:/ˌɛk.jʊˈmɛ.nɪ.kəl/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:EH2 K Y UW0 M EH1 N IH0 K AH0 L
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
adj
Meaning 1
Pertaining to the universal Church, representing the entire Christian world; interdenominational; sometimes by extension, interreligious.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable
Topics: ecclesiastical, lifestyle, religion
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
adj
Meaning 2
General; universal; catholic; worldwide.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: not-comparable, rare
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: universal, worldwide
Antonyms: none provided
3
adjective satellite
Meaning 3
of worldwide scope or applicability- Christopher Morley
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
an issue of cosmopolitan import
the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time
universal experience
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: cosmopolitan, oecumenical, general, universal, worldwide, world-wide
Antonyms: none provided
4
adjective satellite
Meaning 4
concerned with promoting unity among churches or religions
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
ecumenical thinking
ecumenical activities
the ecumenical movement
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: ecumenic, oecumenic, oecumenical
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
From ecumenic + -al. By surface analysis, ecumene + -ical.
Across languages
Translations
46 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
ekumenies
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Catalan:
ecumènic
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Czech:
ekumenický
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Danish:
økumenisk
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Dutch:
oecumenisch
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Finnish:
ekumeeninen
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
French:
œcuménique
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Friulian:
ecumenic
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
German:
ökumenisch
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Hungarian:
ökumenikus
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Hungarian:
egyetemes
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Indonesian:
ekumenis
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Italian:
ecumenico
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Manx:
eddyr-agglishagh
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Norman:
êtchuménique
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Norwegian Bokmål:
økumenisk
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Norwegian Nynorsk:
økumenisk
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Polish:
ekumeniczny
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Portuguese:
ecuménico
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Portuguese:
ecumênico
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Romanian:
ecumenic
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Russian:
вселе́нский
(vselénskij)
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Scottish Gaelic:
uil-eaglaiseil
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Slovene:
ekumenski
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Spanish:
ecuménico
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Swedish:
ekumenisk
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Tagalog:
malukubin
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Turkish:
ekümenik
— ecclesiastical: pertaining to the Christian Church in a worldwide sense
Afrikaans:
universeel
— general, universal, worldwide
Bulgarian:
вселенски
(vselenski)
— general, universal, worldwide
Catalan:
ecumènic
— general, universal, worldwide
Czech:
univerzální
— general, universal, worldwide
Dutch:
oecumenisch
— general, universal, worldwide
Finnish:
universaali
— general, universal, worldwide
French:
œcuménique
— general, universal, worldwide
Friulian:
ecumenic
— general, universal, worldwide
Hungarian:
ökumenikus
— general, universal, worldwide
Hungarian:
egyetemes
— general, universal, worldwide
Italian:
ecumenico
— general, universal, worldwide
Norman:
êtchuménique
— general, universal, worldwide
Polish:
ekumeniczny
— general, universal, worldwide
Portuguese:
ecuménico
— general, universal, worldwide
Portuguese:
ecumênico
— general, universal, worldwide
Russian:
экуменический
(ekumeničeskij)
— general, universal, worldwide
Scottish Gaelic:
uile-choitcheann
— general, universal, worldwide
