as in ecclesiastic
of or relating to a church
ecclesiastical laws that have been in existence for centuries
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Recent Examples of ecclesiastical
In an initial ruling in March, Walsh sided with the OCA, the largest of three Russian Orthodox ecclesiastical bodies in the United States.
—
Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
Deacons gather two objects: a fisherman’s ring and the pallium, an ecclesiastical vestment worn by the Pope.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 9 May 2025
That changed with ecclesiastical reforms introduced under Pope Gregory X, who mandated a minimum 10-day waiting period to allow time for prayer and reflection—and for distant cardinals to travel to Rome.
—Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
Generally, though, there’s not a lot of poetry in the fight scenes, despite Michôd mixing in ecclesiastical choral music with Antony Partos’ score.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ecclesiastical
Lauren Costantino, Miami Herald, 5 June 2025
Deacons gather two objects: a fisherman’s ring and the pallium, an ecclesiastical vestment worn by the Pope.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 9 May 2025
That changed with ecclesiastical reforms introduced under Pope Gregory X, who mandated a minimum 10-day waiting period to allow time for prayer and reflection—and for distant cardinals to travel to Rome.
—Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 May 2025
Generally, though, there’s not a lot of poetry in the fight scenes, despite Michôd mixing in ecclesiastical choral music with Antony Partos’ score.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for ecclesiastical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ecclesiastical
Adjective
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Forbidden passion fueled the plot of The Thorn Birds in which the late Richard Chamberlain, played the priest Ralph de Bricassart, a heartthrob in ecclesiastic wear.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
2 Apr. 2025
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America has no aristocracy or ecclesiastic master class.—
Brian T. Allen,
National Review,
12 Feb. 2022
Adjective
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The fire ignited first on the property of the Twelve Tribes religious cult, which has a compound on Eldorado Drive, near the Marshall Mesa Open Space.—
Noelle Phillips,
Denver Post,
26 Sep. 2025
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Mandato cited writings of several founding fathers, including John Adams, Daniel Webster and John Witherspoon, who argued the country's constitutional system cannot endure without a moral and religious population, and Christian principals are conducive to good citizenship.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
26 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Another major reason Denmark didn’t focus on the Americas was a 1493 papal bull from Pope Alexander VI.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Sep. 2025
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For centuries, the land was the private dwelling of emperors and pontiffs until 2014, when Pope Francis opened the papal gardens to the public.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ecclesiastical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesiastical. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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