as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
a clergyperson of your choice would be the best one to advise on this spiritual matter
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Recent Examples of clergyperson
What makes the family tradition sustainable in central Massachusetts, where the Vallelis now live, is a pastor-sharing arrangement between two congregations that couldn’t afford a full-time clergyperson on their own.
—
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2020
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergyperson
Noun
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Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Francis rose through the ranks as a Jesuit priest in his home country of Argentina.—
Susan Miller,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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Following in the footsteps of his older brother Brian, Farrell entered the Legionaries of Christ congregation in 1966 and was ordained a priest in 1978 in Rome.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
22 Apr. 2025
Noun
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But while the Gemstones themselves have embraced Kelvin and his coming out, the rest of the world — particularly rival preacher Vance Simkins (Stephen Dorff), Kelvin’s competition for the ridiculous title of Top Christ-Following Man — is more critical.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2025
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Preacher Boy shows off his heavenly voice and affinity for jazz music, but his father, an actual preacher, rebukes the genre as the devil’s music, like most good Christians did back then.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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If clergymen are defrocked and lawyers are disbarred, then alcoholics are delivered, hairdressers are distressed, and pornographers are deluded.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2025
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Kirchner had, a year earlier, backed sanctions for clergymen who publicly opposed the government’s human rights policies, including his decision to annul laws pardoning dictatorship-era atrocities.—
Federico Perelmuter,
The Dial,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Patriarch and pastor, Solomon Jasper (Harry Lennix) and matriarch/sharp-minded lawyer Claudine (LaTanya Richardson Jackson) worked hard to instill a sense of purpose, faith, and legacy in their two sons, Junior (Glenn Davis) and Naz (Jon Michael Hill).—
Jeryl Brunner,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
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With dignity, but like any Christian, because the bishop of Rome is a pastor and a disciple, not a powerful man of this world.—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
21 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clergyperson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergyperson. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
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