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

Or Arjia Rinpoche, 75, a high lama from Tibet, who was 8 in 1958 when Chinese soldiers arrested about 500 monks from his beloved monastery, many never to be seen again. —Michael Arkush, Twin Cities, 26 May 2026

Outside of the monastery or off the bike, Yo recommended finding small moments of mindfulness throughout the day. —James Manso, Footwear News, 26 May 2026

The location of this hotel—in and around an ancient Augustinian monastery in the scenic Malá Strana district, between soaring Prague Castle and the calm Vltava River—is its best selling point. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 May 2026

Wembanyama made news this past offseason for traveling to China to train at a Shaolin monastery. —Jared Weiss, New York Times, 24 May 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