mo·nas·tic
mə-ˈna-stik 
1
: of or relating to monasteries or to monks or nuns
the rituals of monastic life
2
: resembling (as in seclusion or ascetic simplicity) life in a monastery
shows a monastic dedication to his job
plural monastics
: a member of a monastic order : a person (such as a monk) who lives under religious vows
Monastics are people who … every day try hard to become part of a community—to relinquish aspects of the very egoism the rest of us spend our lives, in various ways, trying to enhance.—
Robert Coles
Robert ColesExamples of monastic in a Sentence
Adjective
He founded a monastic order in Belgium.
He shows a monastic dedication to his job.
She studied for the test with monastic zeal.
Recent Examples on the Web
Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
The original bell remains in the bell tower, and the monastic light all swirls together to create a magical environment for nuptials (including Anya Taylor-Joy, who held her private ceremony here in 2022).
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 25 Nov. 2025
Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
As the numbers of women at the highest echelons of learning continue to grow, women will likewise expand their ability to take leadership roles in their monastic and lay communities – helping to improve other nuns’ education and protecting Tibetan culture in the process.
—Darcie Price-Wallace, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monastic
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Adjective
The nuns will have to close their social media accounts, return to a more secluded monastic life, and will be put on the waiting list back at the nursing home for when they cannot be cared for at the convent.
—Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 28 Nov. 2025
The original bell remains in the bell tower, and the monastic light all swirls together to create a magical environment for nuptials (including Anya Taylor-Joy, who held her private ceremony here in 2022).
—Nicole Kliest, Vogue, 25 Nov. 2025
Noun
These people who see the theater as almost a monastic calling something of a higher order, and they’re brilliantly educated and funny.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
As the numbers of women at the highest echelons of learning continue to grow, women will likewise expand their ability to take leadership roles in their monastic and lay communities – helping to improve other nuns’ education and protecting Tibetan culture in the process.
—Darcie Price-Wallace, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for monastic
Cite this Entry
“Monastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monastic. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
monastic
adjective
mo·nas·tic
mə-ˈnas-tik
1
: of or relating to monks or monasteries
2
: resembling life in a monastery
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