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Catholic vs Eclectic - What's the difference?

catholic | eclectic |

As adjectives the difference between catholic and eclectic

is that catholic is universal; all-encompassing while eclectic is selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles.

As nouns the difference between catholic and eclectic

is that catholic is a member of a Catholic church while eclectic is someone who selects according to the eclectic method.

catholic

English

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • Universal; all-encompassing.
  • * 1946 , (Bertrand Russell), History of Western Philosophy , I.29:
    • Essentially, and in idea, the empire, in the minds of the Romans, was world-wide. This conception descended to the Church, which was ‘Catholic ’ in spite of Buddhists, Confucians, and (later) Muhammadans.
  • Pertaining to all kinds of people and their range of tastes, proclivities etc.; liberal.
    • He has catholic tastes.

    • Synonyms

    * universal

    eclectic

    English

    Alternative forms

    * eclectick (obsolete)

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Selecting a mixture of what appears to be best of various doctrines, methods or styles.
  • * 1893 , John Robson, Hinduism and its Relations to Christianity , page 211, 214
    • Chunder Sen and the Progressive Brahmists broke entirely with Hinduism...and he selected from the scriptures of all creeds what seemed best in them for instruction and for worship. It is an eclectic' religion: it seeks to select what is good from all religions, and it has become the latest evidence that no ' eclectic religion can ever influence large numbers of men.
  • Unrelated and unspecialized; heterogeneous.
  • * 1983 , Peter J. Wilson, Man, the Promising Primate: The Conditions of Human Evolution , page 140
    • All members of the Hominoidea, apes and man, show an eclectic taste in food but select, from a wide range of possibilities, only a few to provide the bulk of their diet.
  • * 2006 , W. Frederick Zimmerman, Should Barack Obama Be President? , page 153
    • Colvin said Obama has an eclectic taste in music, listening to everything from Indonesian flute music to OutKast to Motown.

    Derived terms

    * eclectically * eclecticism

    Synonyms

    * (unrelated and unspecialized) heterogeneous

    Antonyms

    * (selecting a mixture of doctrines) exclusive, homogeneous, orthodox, standard, uniform

    See also

    * cherry pick * heteroclite

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • Someone who selects according to the eclectic method.