clergy

noun

cler·​gy ˈklər-jē 

plural clergies

1

: a group ordained to perform pastoral or sacerdotal functions in a Christian church

Members of the clergy have been invited to participate in an interfaith service.

2

: the official or sacerdotal class of a non-Christian religion

Buddhist clergy

Synonyms of clergy

• church
• episcopate

Examples of clergy in a Sentence

Local clergy have been invited to participate in an interfaith service.

a member of the clergy

Recent Examples on the Web

In the 19th century, the voices of Black leadership were the abolitionists and educators, orators, and clergy. —Literary Hub, 21 Jan. 2026

Of course, the clergy and the church can and do serve as more than sympathetic victims of state overreach. —Jay Caspian Kang, New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2026

On Ash Wednesday, clergy often place ashes on the foreheads of worshipers, typically in the shape of a cross. —Dallas Morning News, 20 Jan. 2026

Hirschfeld’s speech cited several historical clergy members who had risked their lives to protect others, including New Hampshire seminary student Jonathan Daniels, who was shot and killed by a sheriff’s deputy in Alabama while shielding a young Black civil rights activist in 1965. —Los Angeles Times, 19 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English clergie, from Anglo-French, from clerc clergyman

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing clergy

• benefit of clergy

Kids Definition

clergy

noun

cler·​gy ˈklər-jē 

plural clergies

: the group of religious officials (as priests, ministers, or rabbis) specially prepared and authorized to conduct religious services