postulant
noun
pos·tu·lant
ˈpäs-chə-lənt 
1
: a person admitted to a religious order as a probationary candidate for membership
2
: a person on probation before being admitted as a candidate for holy orders in the Episcopal Church
Examples of postulant in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An Irish postulant with light grey hair nodded gravely.
—
Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Leading the retreat were four sisters and three postulants (nuns in an early stage of formation, a period lasting between six months to a year).
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Learning to construct a meaningful narrative of self that embraced—rather than denied—such temporal paradoxes sat at the heart of the transformation the postulants underwent in their first year.
—Rebecca J. Lester, Scientific American, 1 June 2023
Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer lead the cast that play the charming and gorgeous von Trapp family who are reminded of love and music when a young Austrian postulant nun steps into the family home of a strict widowed Naval officer.
—Women's Health, 25 May 2023
This is the arresting and affecting tale of the young monk who aspires to express his devotion to the Virgin Mary, having dejectedly reviewed, during his first week as a postulant at the monastery alongside Our Lady of Sorrows, the prodigies and gifts of his fellow monks.
—William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
There is a major Chicago theater debut from Isabella Andrews, as the nervous postulant Mary Robert.
—Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 12 Nov. 2021
Ron Hansen has written 10 estimable novels with wildly diverse, mostly historical subjects ranging from postulant Mariette Baptiste to Hitler’s niece to Billy the Kid.
—Ron Hansen, Star Tribune, 14 Aug. 2020
Even today, postulants who enter the order, which has chapters around the world, mostly spend their days alone, in spartan cells in prayer and contemplation, mixed with some manual labor.
—Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2019
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Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Leading the retreat were four sisters and three postulants (nuns in an early stage of formation, a period lasting between six months to a year).
—Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Learning to construct a meaningful narrative of self that embraced—rather than denied—such temporal paradoxes sat at the heart of the transformation the postulants underwent in their first year.
—Rebecca J. Lester, Scientific American, 1 June 2023
Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer lead the cast that play the charming and gorgeous von Trapp family who are reminded of love and music when a young Austrian postulant nun steps into the family home of a strict widowed Naval officer.
—Women's Health, 25 May 2023
This is the arresting and affecting tale of the young monk who aspires to express his devotion to the Virgin Mary, having dejectedly reviewed, during his first week as a postulant at the monastery alongside Our Lady of Sorrows, the prodigies and gifts of his fellow monks.
—William F. Buckley Jr., National Review, 26 Nov. 2020
There is a major Chicago theater debut from Isabella Andrews, as the nervous postulant Mary Robert.
—Chris Jones, chicagotribune.com, 12 Nov. 2021
Ron Hansen has written 10 estimable novels with wildly diverse, mostly historical subjects ranging from postulant Mariette Baptiste to Hitler’s niece to Billy the Kid.
—Ron Hansen, Star Tribune, 14 Aug. 2020
Even today, postulants who enter the order, which has chapters around the world, mostly spend their days alone, in spartan cells in prayer and contemplation, mixed with some manual labor.
—Washington Post, 19 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Postulant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postulant. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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