as in ministerial
of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy
clerical duties such as providing spiritual counseling and leading Bible study classes
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
some of the state's most prominent clericals have spoken out against the measure
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clerical
Sarah Kozlowski, Dallas Morning News, 21 Mar. 2026
The anti-government protests that erupted across Iran in early January were fueled by economic turmoil, a collapsing currency and broader anger at clerical rule and were described as the most significant in decades.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
The clerical body responsible for selecting the new supreme leader announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the new leader on March 8, but he has not been seen in public.
—CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
But the Navy assigned him to a clerical job at Tinker instead, his mother Alicia Kelsey said.
—Brianna Bailey, The Frontier, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clerical
Adjective
There, these functional artworks — from clerical vestments and altar cloths to lamps, reliquaries and vessels for the performance of the Mass — made distant European rulers present in the liturgical life of Christianity’s most sacred site.
—Sarah Kozlowski, Dallas Morning News, 21 Mar. 2026
The anti-government protests that erupted across Iran in early January were fueled by economic turmoil, a collapsing currency and broader anger at clerical rule and were described as the most significant in decades.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
The clerical body responsible for selecting the new supreme leader announced Mojtaba Khamenei as the new leader on March 8, but he has not been seen in public.
—CBS News, 19 Mar. 2026
But the Navy assigned him to a clerical job at Tinker instead, his mother Alicia Kelsey said.
—Brianna Bailey, The Frontier, 14 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for clerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clerical
Adjective
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Other heritage suites are less intimidatingly ministerial.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Shah, who is the RSP’s prime ministerial candidate, won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The concierge specializes in Kyoto’s cultural events, and can help access exclusive ochaya with an interpreter, score tickets to the theater, book dinner reservations, a huge help in Kyoto, or help arrange meetings with monks and priests at the city’s Shinto shrines and temples.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 Apr. 2026
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Nonbinary people have often occupied unique positions in their societies, serving as priests, artists, and ceremonial leaders.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Sure sounds like the Tap are having a dig at pastoral English songs like the one above.—
Brett Milano,
Boston Herald,
5 Apr. 2026
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The group participated in a foot-washing ritual before three clergy leaders made their way inside to administer pastoral care to those who wanted it.—
Frankie McLister,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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His father, much older than his mom, was a preacher who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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Moreover, as soon as Christianity began to spread outside his native land, Christian converts faced new situations in unexpected contexts, completely different from those of their founder, an itinerant Jewish preacher in the sparsely populated hinterlands of rural Galilee.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Thousands gathered in Baghdad and across a number of other Iraqi provinces yesterday to demonstrate against the US-Israeli war with Iran after the powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on people to protest.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
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Iran’s supreme leader is now the cleric Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated late last month.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clerical. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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