adjective

catholic

KATH-lik/ˈkæθlɪk/

Wide-ranging and inclusive in tastes or interests.

Her catholic taste in music ranges from opera to bluegrass.

A music-shop customer enthusiastically selects records across four contrasting genres, visibly demonstrating wide-ranging musical tastes rather than religious affiliation.

Etymology

catGreekabout, concerning

+holGreekwhole

+icGreekrelating to

“About” and “whole” formed the expression “on the whole, in general,” underlying the meaning “universal.” Applied to tastes or interests, this breadth means embracing many things rather than being narrow-minded.

More examples

The library reflects his catholic interests.
The magazine welcomes readers with catholic literary tastes.
Their collection is remarkably catholic in scope.

Similar words

eclectic: Emphasizes selecting from varied sources or styles.
broad-minded: Emphasizes tolerance of different views rather than breadth of interests.