as in ministerial
of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy
clerical duties such as providing spiritual counseling and leading Bible study classes
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clerical
Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Even after the 14th-century Black Death, clerical households with wives and children thrived in Italy.
—Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
The contract was always only worth $8 million despite any clerical mistake.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
Because mistakes can be made, ACH transactions are reversible in cases where there was a clear clerical error, like when the wrong account was credited, for instance, or a single transaction was inadvertently duplicated.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clerical
Adjective
And unlike in the years after the Iran-Iraq War, when Iran had the advantage of a comparatively youthful leadership, Khamenei and his inner circle have become a gerontocracy, and a new generation is increasingly impatient with clerical rule.
—Foreign Affairs, 25 Feb. 2025
Even after the 14th-century Black Death, clerical households with wives and children thrived in Italy.
—Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
The contract was always only worth $8 million despite any clerical mistake.
—Joey Garrison, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2025
Because mistakes can be made, ACH transactions are reversible in cases where there was a clear clerical error, like when the wrong account was credited, for instance, or a single transaction was inadvertently duplicated.
—Felix Salmon, Axios, 18 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clerical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clerical
Adjective
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Extending phase one indefinitely would suit an Israeli prime minister whose extremist ministerial allies want to start bombing Gaza again and then re-establish the Jewish settlements that Israel forced out 20 years ago.—
Mick Krever,
CNN,
28 Feb. 2025
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My friend, Mimi Wu, a plastic waste management and mitigation expert and CEO of Global Green Solutions, believes that smaller, more focused discussions with ministerial involvement are needed.—
Melissa Jun Rowley,
Rolling Stone,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Castro went to a Jesuit high school in Havana, Belén, and was taught by Spanish priests.—
Jay Nordlinger,
National Review,
5 Mar. 2025
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The girl gave birth when Velez-Lopez started serving as a priest in Alexandria, Louisiana, according to the report.—
Julia Marnin,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2025
Adjective
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Evergreen trees shade the pastoral grounds, planted to simulate the majesty of being in the Rocky Mountains, the owner’s other favorite place.—
Cortney Fries,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2025
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Concordia’s dean revoked Marty’s pastoral posting in London, instead sending him to serve as assistant to the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Two years later, the couple married in 1966 during a ceremony that was only attended by her mother, Avie Lee, the preacher and the preacher's wife.—
Ashley Hume,
Fox News,
7 Mar. 2025
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According to Parton's website, the only people to attend the small service were Dolly's mother, Avie Lee Parton, a preacher and his wife.—
Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports,
arkansasonline.com,
5 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Whatever the answer, clerics who want Francis to stay or go have been sending their own signals since the pope entered the hospital 12 days ago.—
Jason Horowitz,
New York Times,
26 Feb. 2025
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Some of these popes led immoral lives; at one point, a 20-year-old was chosen as Pope Benedict IX, who then sold the office to another cleric.—
Joanne M. Pierce,
The Conversation,
15 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clerical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clerical. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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