cathedral

noun

The principal church serving as the office (and some as place of residence) of an archdiocese's/a diocese's archbishop/bishop which is symbolized by an episcopal throne known as the cathedra.

(loosely or informally) A large or important church building.

(figurative) A large, impressive, lofty, and/or important building or place of some other kind.

A large buttressed structure built by certain termites.

(US politics, Dark Enlightenment and libertarianism, neologism) The mainstream system or establishment in society, regarded as liberal or leftist.

adjective

Relating to the office of a bishop or an archbishop.

Roots

kathedracathedr- · Greek · seat, chair

Synonyms for cathedral

duomon basilican churchn

Synonyms & related words for cathedral

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of cathedral — including duomo, basilica, church. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to cathedral

Explore words related to cathedral — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include procathedral, succentor, slype, basilican, retrochoir, chapel, precentor, churchlike. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for cathedral

Common synonyms for cathedral include duomo, basilica, church — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does cathedral come from?

The word cathedral breaks down into one root of Greek origin: the root cathedr-, from Greek kathedra (“seat, chair”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.