1
: of or relating to a priest or the priesthood : sacerdotal
2
: characteristic of or befitting a priest
priestliness
noun
Examples of priestly in a Sentence
He is a kind, priestly man.
majestically robed in priestly garments
Recent Examples on the Web
The text records royal decrees including tax relief during poor Nile floods; donations to temples; the creation of a new priestly office; a festival tied to the heliacal rising of Sirius; and a calendar reform introducing a leap day every four years.
—
Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025
In 1997, Greenspan read an article in the Times about a group of geneticists who had tested the Y chromosomes of Jewish men who believed themselves to be part of an ancient priestly tradition called the cohanim.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
The priestly fraternity, named in honor of the anti-modernist Pope St. Pius X, was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as a response to liturgical reforms made in the Second Vatican Council (also known as Vatican II).
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2025
One thing to consider, however, is that Leviticus is devoted to priestly concerns.
—Jacob F. Love, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for priestly
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Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 14 Sep. 2025
In 1997, Greenspan read an article in the Times about a group of geneticists who had tested the Y chromosomes of Jewish men who believed themselves to be part of an ancient priestly tradition called the cohanim.
—Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
The priestly fraternity, named in honor of the anti-modernist Pope St. Pius X, was founded in 1970 by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as a response to liturgical reforms made in the Second Vatican Council (also known as Vatican II).
—Timothy Nerozzi, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2025
One thing to consider, however, is that Leviticus is devoted to priestly concerns.
—Jacob F. Love, The Conversation, 5 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for priestly
Cite this Entry
“Priestly.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/priestly. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
priestly
adjective
priest·ly
ˈprēst-lē 
priestlier; priestliest
1
: of or relating to a priest or the priesthood
2
: characteristic of or suitable for a priest
priestliness
noun
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