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
Iranian cleric Hojjat al-Islam Mehdi Taeb once dubbed Syria Iran’s 35th province, arguing that keeping Syria would be more important than keeping Iran’s Khuzestan border province, which Saddam Hussein infamously invaded in 1980.
—
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Video This week’s violence erupted early Tuesday after an audio clip circulated on social media purporting to be of a Druse cleric insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
—Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Sullivan’s abduction comes two months after renowned Islamic cleric Muhsin Hendricks was shot dead by armed men in Bethelsdorp, also in the Eastern Cape province.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reluctantly approved the negotiations, hardline clerics loyal to him are speaking out forcefully against the decision.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
Video This week’s violence erupted early Tuesday after an audio clip circulated on social media purporting to be of a Druse cleric insulting the Prophet Muhammad.
—Nanna Heitmann, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Sullivan’s abduction comes two months after renowned Islamic cleric Muhsin Hendricks was shot dead by armed men in Bethelsdorp, also in the Eastern Cape province.
—Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2025
While Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has reluctantly approved the negotiations, hardline clerics loyal to him are speaking out forcefully against the decision.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
-
Nevertheless, the walking dead break in anyway and the boy runs for his life, hiding out in a church where his father is the priest.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
18 June 2025
-
But, in many ways, Chryseis—in spite of the apparent privileging of her name and her identity as a priest’s daughter that makes its way into the later stories about her—is the more silent, the more difficult to bring back to life, of the two.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
13 June 2025
Noun
-
The preacher's son said his father has been in the ICU and never regained consciousness.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
18 June 2025
-
These were often portraits of people at work—jockeys, preachers, movie stars—that showcase the indiscriminate pleasure Crews took in shoptalk.—
Charlie Lee,
Harpers Magazine,
18 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 5 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share