catiline: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Very LowLiterary, Historical, Formal Rhetoric
Quick answer
What does “catiline” mean?
A conspirator or treacherous plotter, especially one who schemes violently from within.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A conspirator or treacherous plotter, especially one who schemes violently from within.
A person who engages in secret, subversive plots to overthrow or undermine a government, institution, or established order; a seditious schemer. The term also refers to one who uses inflammatory or seditious rhetoric to incite rebellion.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. The term is equally rare and literary in both dialects.
Connotations
Same classical/historical allusion and pejorative sense in both.
Frequency
Extremely rare in contemporary speech or writing in both regions, confined to historical analysis, political rhetoric drawing on classical parallels, or highly stylized literary contexts.
Grammar
How to Use “catiline” in a Sentence
[Subject] was denounced as a catiline.The speech exposed him for the catiline he was.They feared a catiline in their midst.Vocabulary
Collocations
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in historical studies of the Roman Republic, political theory discussing conspiracy and sedition, or analyses of Cicero's orations.
Everyday
Extremely unlikely to be encountered.
Technical
Not used.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “catiline”
Strong
Neutral
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “catiline”
- Using it to mean simply a 'critic' or 'opponent' without the core elements of secret, violent conspiracy and treachery.
- Misspelling as 'Cataline' or 'Catilina'.
- Using it in casual contexts where it sounds bizarrely archaic.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
When referring specifically to the historical figure Lucius Sergius Catilina, it is a proper noun and is capitalised. When used as a common noun meaning 'a conspirator', it is often but not always lowercased, similar to 'quisling' or 'boycott'.
No, its standard usage is exclusively as a noun. Forms like 'to catiline' or 'catilinian' are non-standard and exceedingly rare, found only in creative or highly idiosyncratic writing.
Primarily from the speeches ('Catalinarian Orations') and writings of his political enemy, the Roman statesman Cicero, and later from the historian Sallust's work 'The Conspiracy of Catiline'. These sources are deeply hostile to Catiline.
It is a highly specific historical eponym. Modern English tends to use more generic terms like 'conspirator', 'traitor', or 'insurrectionist'. 'Catiline' requires the audience to understand the classical reference, making it a niche, rhetorical choice.
A conspirator or treacherous plotter, especially one who schemes violently from within.
Catiline is usually literary, historical, formal rhetoric in register.
Catiline: in British English it is pronounced /ˈkatɪlʌɪn/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈkætəlaɪn/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “A Catiline in the Senate - A hidden traitor within the governing body.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think: 'CAT-I-LINE' - Imagine a cat secretly lining up conspirators to overthrow the government.
Conceptual Metaphor
THE STATE IS A BODY / THE CONSPIRATOR IS A DISEASE (A catiline is a cancerous growth within the body politic).
Practice
Quiz
In which context would the term 'catiline' be most appropriately used?