regalism means the doctrine of the ecclesiastical supremacy of a sovereign. It carries an Arena rating of 1239, earned across 214 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, regalism ranks #4,828 of 17,151 for The Improbable, #5,924 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #6,220 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #7,227 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words.
Why “regalism” is a great word
REGALISM — [Noun] The doctrine asserting the sovereign's supremacy over ecclesiastical affairs. From regal (pertaining to a monarch) + -ism (denoting a doctrine or system). Unlike caesaropapism, which fuses the head of state with the supreme head of the church, or erastianism, which emphasizes a broader political theory of state supremacy, regalism is the specific creed of royal authority over the church's earthly machinery. It is the king's signature on a bishop's appointment, the crown's tax on monastic lands, and the state decree overriding a papal bull—the serene conviction that God’s kingdom on earth must answer to a single, earthly throne.
Etymology
From regal + -ism.
noun
- The doctrine of the ecclesiastical supremacy of a sovereign.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- regalist 71% match — A proponent of regalism. vs regalism →
- regality 64% match — Royalty; sovereignty; sovereign jurisdiction. vs regalism →
- regal 64% match — Of, pertaining to, or suitable for royalty. vs regalism →
- curialism 61% match — The view or doctrine of the ultramontane party in the Latin Church: the supremacy of the Roman Curia. vs regalism →
- jurisdictionalism 61% match — A policy of affirming a laical jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical one. vs regalism →
- romanism 60% match — The tenets of the Church of Rome; the Roman Catholic religion. vs regalism →
- sovereignism 59% match — A doctrine which supports acquiring or preserving the political independence of a nation, region or group, from external or higher-level entities (e.g. federalism or supranational unions like the UN) or from internal (e.g. ethnic or sexual minority) groups it considers subversive. vs regalism →
- royalism 59% match — Impassioned allegiance to or advocacy of the establishment, maintenance, and/or interests of a particular king, royal house, or kingly dynasty; sometimes extended to the same of a non-royal (i.e., grand ducal, imperial, or other) family or sovereign; often contrasted with monarchism. vs regalism →