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 Maroun monastery dates back to a century after Jesus was crucified. —NPR, 1 Dec. 2025

The monastery, rebuilt at the end of the seventeenth century, sported a concrete addition, brutalism with a clerical accent. —Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025

In Pannonhalma, a massive bug infestation threatened a monastery's historic 1,000-year-old book collection this summer. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 1 Dec. 2025

This monastery overlooking the Mediterranean will be one of the stops on Pope Leo XIV’s three-day visit to Lebanon, beginning Sunday. —Ben Wedeman, CNN Money, 30 Nov. 2025

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
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

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