ecclesiastic

²ecclesiastic

noun

Definition of ECCLESIASTIC

: clergyman

Examples of ECCLESIASTIC

1. <as the leading ecclesiastic for his church in the state, the bishop must be beyond reproach in everything he does>

First Known Use of ECCLESIASTIC

1651

Related to ECCLESIASTIC

Synonyms: cleric, clerical, clerk, deacon, divine, dominie, clergyperson, minister, preacher, priest, reverend

Antonyms: layman, layperson, secular

Related Words: churchman, clergyman, father, Holy Joe [slang], padre; clergywoman, deaconess, priestess; abbot, archbishop, archpriest, bishop, dean, diocesan, monsignor, pope, prelate, presbyter; abbé, curate, curé, parson, pastor, rector, shepherd, vicar; chaplain, confessor, sky pilot; evangelist, missionary, missioner, missionizer, revivalist; friar, mendicant, monastic, monk, oblate, religious; high priest, high priestess

Near Antonyms: lay reader, lector

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