monastery

noun

mon·​as·​tery ˈmä-nə-ˌster-ē 

plural monasteries

: a house for persons under religious vows

especially : an establishment for monks

Synonyms of monastery

• cloister
• abbey

Examples of monastery in a Sentence

Gregory Mendel worked out his concepts of genetics by doing breeding experiments using pea plants in the monastery's garden.

Recent Examples on the Web

The speech was made at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a monastery that Mazepa patronized. — Leigh Anne Miller, ARTnews.com, 29 June 2026

Robin is severely injured in a fight early in the movie, leaving him in the care of Comer's Sister Brigid at a monastery. — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 27 June 2026

Smoke and fire rise from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery following a Russian missile strike this month. — Elmira Aliieva, NBC news, 30 June 2026

When places are being set for dinner, or in a stone garden in a Buddhist monastery, there is no governing principle of central symmetry or proportional order. — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 28 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English monasterie, from Late Latin monasterium, from Late Greek monastērion, from Greek, hermit's cell, from monazein to live alone, from monos single — more at monk

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for monastery

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• apiary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• bacillary
• beriberi
• bestiary
• breviary
• budgetary

Kids Definition

monastery

noun

mon·​as·​tery ˈmän-ə-ˌster-ē 

plural monasteries

: a place where a community of monks or nuns live and work

monasterial

ˌmän-ə-ˈstir-ē-əl

adjective