counterreformation

[ koun-ter-ref-er-mey-shuhn ]

noun
  1. a reformation opposed to or counteracting a previous reformation.

Origin of counterreformation

1
1830–40; counter- + reformation, as translation of German Gegenreformation

Other definitions for Counter Reformation (2 of 2)

Counter Reformation

noun
  1. the movement within the Roman Catholic Church that followed the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.

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British Dictionary definitions for Counter-Reformation

Counter-Reformation

/ (ˌkaʊntəˌrɛfəˈmeɪʃən) /


noun
  1. the reform movement of the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th and early 17th centuries considered as a reaction to the Protestant Reformation

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for Counter Reformation (1 of 2)

Counter Reformation

The reaction of the Roman Catholic Church to the Reformation. The chief aims of the Counter Reformation were to increase faith among church members, get rid of some of the abuses to which the leaders of the Reformation objected, and affirm some of the principles rejected by the Protestant churches, such as veneration of the saints and acceptance of the authority of the pope. Many Jesuits were leaders of the Counter Reformation.

Counter Reformation

The reaction of the Roman Catholic Church to the Reformation. The chief aims of the Counter Reformation were to increase faith among church members, end many of the abuses to which the leaders of the Reformation objected, and affirm some of the principles rejected by the Protestant churches, such as veneration of the saints and acceptance of the authority of the pope. Many Jesuits were leaders of the Counter Reformation.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.