as in prioress
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abbess
When the abbess died in 866, she was buried in the abbey church.
—
Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
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
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
See All Example Sentences for abbess
Moira Ritter, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024
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
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
See All Example Sentences for abbess
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abbess
Noun
-
Marie, who becomes the prioress of the abbey at 17, begins a rise to power — or as much power as a woman is permitted — using her fellow nuns to fight off political and violent incursions.—
Mark Athitakis,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
-
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
Noun
-
Arcangela Tarabotti, a seventeenth-century Venetian nun who was put into a convent against her will, wrote a critique of coerced enclosure that begins by eviscerating the idea that men are by nature superior to women.—
Chandler Fritz,
The New York Review of Books,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Alfonso’s nun in her Balenciaga stared out at me dolled up in mine.—
Han Ong,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Louise, a former anchoress, is her humble, tyrannical maid.—
Hervé Guibert,
Harper's Magazine,
2 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
For seasoned cooks and kitchen novices, cookbook author and nutritionist Robin Miller takes it back to basics with great, family-friendly recipes worth making over and over again.—
Robin Miller,
AZCentral.com,
26 Mar. 2026
-
Even Zoltan considers herself something of a novice.—
Séamas O'Reilly,
Vulture,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In October of 1517, a 34-year-old monk named Martin Luther (probably) nailed his famous Ninety-Five Theses to the door of All Saint’s Church in Wittenberg, in what is now eastern Germany.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The city’s oldest Zen Buddhist temple, Kennin-ji Temple is across the street, and one of the hotel’s many offerings is a quiet early morning walking meditation led by a monk in the dry gardens of its sub-temple Ryosokuin.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Jump to Answer In Sinners, Wunmi Mosaku’s character, Annie, is the resident priestess.—
Craigh Barboza,
HollywoodReporter,
15 Mar. 2026
-
She’s being honored for her portrayal of Annie, the hoodoo priestess who is such a grounding force for the 2025 film.—
Kemi Alemoru,
Glamour,
14 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
chicagotribune.com,
11 Sep. 2020
Noun
-
The abbot of Wat Saman Rattanaram in Chachoengsao province, about 50 miles east of Bangkok, warned that cremation services may have to be suspended.—
Chas Newkey-Burden,
TheWeek,
22 Mar. 2026
-
Phommasan, a native of Laos and abbot at a Buddhist temple in Snellville, was recently fitted with a prosthetic leg at Mercer University.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abbess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abbess. Accessed 30 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
