as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
clerics were sharply divided on the issue of whether the war was morally justified
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of cleric
An obscure Iranian cleric named Ruhollah Khomeini arrived in the quiet suburb of Neauphle-le-Château in exile, and none of the senior correspondents wanted to make the trek.
—
Stephen Heyman, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025
Also on Saturday, a bomb exploded outside a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing cleric Mufti Shakir, local police said.
—Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Dozens of clerics who disagreed with these measures have been fired.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
In May 2023, Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a 696-page report, which found that over about seven decades, at least 1,997 children have been abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers across the state’s dioceses.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Stephen Heyman, Vogue, 1 Apr. 2025
Also on Saturday, a bomb exploded outside a mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing cleric Mufti Shakir, local police said.
—Compiled By Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 14 Mar. 2025
Dozens of clerics who disagreed with these measures have been fired.
—Justin Gest, Newsweek, 11 Feb. 2025
In May 2023, Attorney General Kwame Raoul published a 696-page report, which found that over about seven decades, at least 1,997 children have been abused by 451 Catholic clerics and religious brothers across the state’s dioceses.
—Natalie Demaree, Miami Herald, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share