archbishop

noun

arch·bish·op (ˌ)ärch-ˈbi-shəp

Synonyms of archbishop next

: a bishop at the head of an ecclesiastical province or one of equivalent honorary rank

Examples of archbishop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In his sermon, the archbishop saluted Charles’ commitment to charity and his lifetime of service to the people of his country. —

Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, 6 May 2023 The monarch is crowned with St. Edward’s Crown, the archbishop delivers a prayer and the monarch sits on the throne. —

Conor Murray, Forbes, 6 May 2023 The archbishop will bless the sword and hand it to the monarch with the injunction that it should be used for the protection of good and the punishment of evil. —

Patrick Smith, NBC News, 4 May 2023 The property once belonged to the first archbishop of New Mexico, Bishop Lamy, and was later owned by the Pulitzer Family. —

Alexandra Malmed, Vogue, 8 Nov. 2023 The archbishop threatened to pull out of the march unless the speech was modified. —

John Leland, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2023 During the anointing, the archbishop of Canterbury will pour holy oil (which is blessed at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem) onto the Coronation Spoon and place the liquid onto the king's hands, chest and head. —

Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 7 May 2023 The former archbishop of Washington, D.C., pleaded not guilty to three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 in a criminal complaint filed by Wellesley police. —

Shelley Murphy, BostonGlobe.com, 30 Aug. 2023 The diocese's parishes, schools and other entities are not included in the filing and their operations should not be affected, the archbishop said. —

CBS News, 21 Aug. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'archbishop.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English arcebiscop, from Late Latin archiepiscopus, from Late Greek archiepiskopos, from archi- + episkopos bishop — more at bishop

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of archbishop was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century