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
Lucy Ash, The Baton and the Cross This book was largely motivated by anger at the hypocrisy of senior clerics and politicians who profess great piety but whose actions are anything but Christian.
—
Literary Hub, 16 June 2025
There are multiple claimants to the Panchen Lama and the Karmapa Lama, the second- and third-highest ranking clerics, respectively, in Tibetan Buddhism.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 July 2025
Revered by his followers as a marja', a leading Shiite Muslim cleric, his role or that of his successor may come to resemble others holding this religious title, such as Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who holds no government position yet retains vast influence.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
In 2009, his father, a cleric, ran for the Presidency, as did the former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, to defeat the hard-line incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Literary Hub, 16 June 2025
There are multiple claimants to the Panchen Lama and the Karmapa Lama, the second- and third-highest ranking clerics, respectively, in Tibetan Buddhism.
—Omkar Khandekar, NPR, 2 July 2025
Revered by his followers as a marja', a leading Shiite Muslim cleric, his role or that of his successor may come to resemble others holding this religious title, such as Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who holds no government position yet retains vast influence.
—Tom O'Connor, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 July 2025
In 2009, his father, a cleric, ran for the Presidency, as did the former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, to defeat the hard-line incumbent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
—Robin Wright, New Yorker, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
-
And, over time, fewer new European priests arrived in Kongo, making translation less necessary.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
12 July 2025
-
One particular enemy of Gauguin’s was Bishop Martin, a Catholic priest on Hiva Oa who did his best to stomp out local custom, forbidding tattooing, Polynesian dancing, and the customary practice of polyandry.—
Alexandra Schwartz,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Unexpectedly, he's been taking it upon himself to continue quoting verses, stepping into the role of a preacher.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 July 2025
-
By my rough count, more than a dozen colleges and universities had their beginnings on or near the Great Wagon Road, simple affairs typically begun by Presbyterian preachers who maintained that Christian education was next to godliness.—
James Dodson
July 7,
Literary Hub,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share