as in priests
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
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Recent Examples of clerics
Ramadan and Eid is a time of joy for Muslims, but this year, the holiday mood was dampened, local clerics said.
—
Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 20 Mar. 2026
These clerics have spent our money for years on missiles and drones, and on funding Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was selected to become Iran's supreme leader last weekend by the country's council of religious clerics after serving as a close aide to his father for years.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
But the Iranian system of clerics and militants defied the president, selecting in Khamenei’s son a man viewed as even more hostile to the West than his father was.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Wednesday reportedly broke his silence in his first message since being appointed last week by a council of clerics, according to state television.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
After the war, Mojtaba Khamenei studied under prominent clerics in Qom.
—Emma Graham,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
When Khomeini died in 1989, he was chosen by a panel of senior clerics as successor.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
The second-oldest of Khamenei’s four sons, all of whom became clerics, Mojtaba was reportedly a weak student.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 20 Mar. 2026
These clerics have spent our money for years on missiles and drones, and on funding Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was selected to become Iran's supreme leader last weekend by the country's council of religious clerics after serving as a close aide to his father for years.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2026
But the Iranian system of clerics and militants defied the president, selecting in Khamenei’s son a man viewed as even more hostile to the West than his father was.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Wednesday reportedly broke his silence in his first message since being appointed last week by a council of clerics, according to state television.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
After the war, Mojtaba Khamenei studied under prominent clerics in Qom.
—Emma Graham,sawdah Bhaimiya, CNBC, 11 Mar. 2026
When Khomeini died in 1989, he was chosen by a panel of senior clerics as successor.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 10 Mar. 2026
The second-oldest of Khamenei’s four sons, all of whom became clerics, Mojtaba was reportedly a weak student.
—Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clerics
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
-
Nonbinary people have often occupied unique positions in their societies, serving as priests, artists, and ceremonial leaders.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Until then, smuggling weed had been a grand adventure, an escape from a society that had just thrown Prager’s generation into a meat grinder in Vietnam, a repudiation of the crooked politicians and backward preachers and greedy capitalists who were running the world.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
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This type of apocalyptic thought has roots in the 19th century, when many American preachers turned toward more literal readings of the Bible.—
Shalom Goldman,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clerics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clerics. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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