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
Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
It was built around 1520, and the architectural style of the turrets means that each room feels really special—including a monastic bedroom with a soaring curved ceiling.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2026
Daniel M. Stuart, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for monastic
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Adjective
Despite all of my research—my monastic study of the lines, my careful hunt for small edges, my righteous avoidance of the high-risk suckers’ bets that the apps were constantly pushing on me—I had been burned by a bad call from a random referee.
—Mckay Coppins, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2026
It was built around 1520, and the architectural style of the turrets means that each room feels really special—including a monastic bedroom with a soaring curved ceiling.
—Elly Leavitt, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
Most of these practitioners were monastics or ascetics.
—Daniel M. Stuart, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for monastic
Cite this Entry
“Monastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monastic. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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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