as in prioress
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Recent Examples of abbess
One of them was the abbess of a female religious community in Kent from around 733 to 761 CE, which is consistent with the dating of MS Selden Supra 30.
—
Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2023
Groff imagined the poet Marie de France as a teenager forced to venture into the dark woods to serve as the abbess.
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for abbess
Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 21 Feb. 2023
Groff imagined the poet Marie de France as a teenager forced to venture into the dark woods to serve as the abbess.
—Ron Charles, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023
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
See All Example Sentences for abbess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abbess
Noun
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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,
7 July 2025
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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
Noun
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The 96-year-old nun — known as Sister Pat — was diminutive but bold.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Aug. 2025
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The nun smiled and touched her forefinger to the baby’s cheek.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 July 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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The current version of Kuang might be described as a tabula-rasa novice, a highly accomplished author who would prefer to be an eager disciple.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
18 Aug. 2025
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The most pythons caught by a novice were 14 by Krista Hoekstra, while John Southworth led the military category with 5.—
NBC South Florida,
NBC news,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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To my surprise, that’s where this story began: a monk’s sweet tooth and a nutritionist’s patience.—
Omaid Homayun,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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In 1965, Snyder and his friend Philip Whalen had designed a hike in the Japanese mountain monk (yamabushi) tradition that followed a route with stations where the pilgrims stopped to chant from various Zen and Tibetan Buddhist traditions, something not only Buddhist but shamanic.—
Dennis McNally,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Seer: Big-budget historical epic following the Trojan priestess Cassandra and her lover Apollo.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
15 July 2025
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One of the exciting new discoveries includes new information regarding Babylonian women–many were priestesses.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
2 July 2025
Noun
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Neither of the abbots or anyone from their temples could be reached for comment on Tuesday.—
Sydney Barragan,
Oc Register,
13 Aug. 2025
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Shi Yongxin, the abbot of Shaolin Temple, is being investigated by multiple agencies, the temple said in a statement published online on Sunday.—
Chloe Mayer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abbess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abbess. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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