as in prioress
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Recent Examples of abbess
It’s been nearly 14 centuries since the monastery founded by St. Hild of Whitby, a prominent abbess in 7th century Anglo-Saxon England, hosted the Northumbrian kingdom’s assembly to discuss the date on which its Christian church would celebrate Easter.
—
Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2023
Another early modern abbess, likely one Eadburg of Minster-in-Thanet, left behind a legacy of a different kind: her name and assorted doodles of humanoid figures, inscribed on the pages of an eighth-century Christian manuscript now housed at the University of Oxford.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2022
In 1151, Richardis was appointed the abbess of a convent far to the north, near Bremen, where her brother happened to be the archbishop.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023
This Eadburg taught another Englishwoman—Leoba, the abbess of Bischofsheim—how to read, according to an editorial in the Guardian.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for abbess
Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2023
Another early modern abbess, likely one Eadburg of Minster-in-Thanet, left behind a legacy of a different kind: her name and assorted doodles of humanoid figures, inscribed on the pages of an eighth-century Christian manuscript now housed at the University of Oxford.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Dec. 2022
In 1151, Richardis was appointed the abbess of a convent far to the north, near Bremen, where her brother happened to be the archbishop.
—Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 30 Jan. 2023
This Eadburg taught another Englishwoman—Leoba, the abbess of Bischofsheim—how to read, according to an editorial in the Guardian.
—Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 Dec. 2022
See All Example Sentences for abbess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abbess
Noun
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In response, the diocese said in a statement that the Holy See has acted toward healing the Arlington Carmel and the nuns in the community and not simply the former prioress and her former councilors.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2024
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Matrix by Lauren Groff Currents of violence and devotion coalesce around Marie de France, a 17-year-old sent to be the new prioress of a 12th-century English abbey.—
Mia Barzilay Freund,
Vogue,
29 Mar. 2024
Noun
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There was the squeak of sneakers, the rustling of kneeling nuns, the murmur of quiet prayers.—
Colleen Barry and Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2025
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Like the 81-year old nun, humor and good-natured ribbing characterized the evening festivities.—
Candace Oehler,
Forbes.com,
21 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent.—
Joelle Rollo-Koster,
The Conversation,
25 Feb. 2025
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Louise, a former anchoress, is her humble, tyrannical maid.—
Hervé Guibert,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Nov. 2024
Noun
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And given the ease of using the phishing toolkits, even technical novices can create a legitimate-looking login page and a proxy server.—
Dan Goodin,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2025
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But where one is fluent in the language of entertainment, the other now seated at the table is a novice in an industry that’s fraught with shady practices and constant change.—
Shirley Halperin,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Pope Francis 'dedicated himself to the service of others,' Dalai Lama says After taking a trip to Thailand in 2019, Francis welcomed a delegation of about 100 Buddhist monks from the Wat Phra Cetuphon temple in Bangkok in 2024, the Vatican News reported.—
N'dea Yancey-Bragg,
USA Today,
22 Apr. 2025
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Imagination was key to the films that Hess made after Napoleon Dynamite: the soulful Nacho Libre, in which Jack Black as a novice monk and Lucha Libre fan gave a fully rounded characterization, and the ingenious fantasy-fiction parody Gentlemen Broncos.—
Armond White,
National Review,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Archaeologists excavating a massive tomb in Pompeii unearthed extremely rare, nearly life-size marble statues that shed new light on the power held by priestesses in the ancient city.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
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In her right hand, the female figure holds laurel leaves, which Roman priestesses and priests once used to purify spaces.—
Sonja Anderson,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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As the village abbot never far from the woods, or from Martine’s little dining room table, Jacques Develay manages the trick of utter simplicity in his motives and line readings.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
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When Kaldi shared the berries with an abbot of a local monastery, the monk ended up wide awake during the evening prayers.—
Marta Zaraska,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abbess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abbess. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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