as in church
the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church
when people find out she's a member of the clergy, they suddenly change their manner
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Recent Examples of clergy
Numerous local clergy members also followed the family.
—
Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
The diocese released a list of 63 clergy and lay people accused in 2021, including ordained priests as early as 1906.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
In a report released last year, the Rabbinical Assembly reaffirmed its ban on clergy officiating at weddings of intermarrying couples but called on members to be more welcoming toward mixed families.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025
Reconciliation today Searching for a path forward, contemporary Sámi artist and Lutheran catechist Lars Levi Sunna began to produce church art that incorporated and celebrated pre-Christian Sámi symbols – some of the very traditions that had been demonized by clergy of the past.
—Thomas A. Dubois, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Evan Mealins, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
The diocese released a list of 63 clergy and lay people accused in 2021, including ordained priests as early as 1906.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2025
In a report released last year, the Rabbinical Assembly reaffirmed its ban on clergy officiating at weddings of intermarrying couples but called on members to be more welcoming toward mixed families.
—Asaf Elia-Shalev, Sun Sentinel, 7 July 2025
Reconciliation today Searching for a path forward, contemporary Sámi artist and Lutheran catechist Lars Levi Sunna began to produce church art that incorporated and celebrated pre-Christian Sámi symbols – some of the very traditions that had been demonized by clergy of the past.
—Thomas A. Dubois, The Conversation, 27 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergy
Noun
-
The group was offering a free concert at the church as part of a U.S. tour, St. Paul's said.—
Melina Khan,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
-
Seemingly random bureaucratic obstacles impeded Gee’s formal conversion, leading her to feel unwanted by the church and, by extension, God.—
Terry Nguyen
July 23,
Literary Hub,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Vatican observers have long speculated that Francis saw Prevost as a potential successor, especially given his rapid rise and central role in shaping the modern episcopate.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
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Amicable relations had long existed between the Catholic Church in Rome and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but the Roman episcopate embraced Mussolini’s regime and its aggressive foreign policy in the mid-1930s.—
Ian Campbell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Clergy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergy. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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