variants
or ancress
as in prioress
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Recent Examples of anchoress
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
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
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
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anchoress
Noun
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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
-
Hildegard was a Catholic abbess of the Benedictine Order.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
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Now, thanks to a greater emphasis on women’s education in recent years, Tibetan Buddhist nuns are increasingly becoming teachers and abbesses.—
Darcie Price-Wallace,
The Conversation,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras.—
Laura Rodríguez Presa,
chicagotribune.com,
11 Sep. 2020
Noun
-
Leo is to preside over a peace meeting involving a Mankon traditional chief, a Presbyterian moderator, an imam and a Catholic nun.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Leo presided over a peace meeting involving a Mankon traditional chief, a Presbyterian moderator, an imam and a Catholic nun.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
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So in February, the university, collaborating with tech ventures Teraverse and XNOVA, unveiled Buddharoid, a humanoid robot monk meant to eventually assist clergy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The bronze statue of Shakyamuni Buddha was finished in 1997 and is located in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, China, in a sacred scenic area said to have been established by the 7th-century monk Xuanzang.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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These people who see the theater as almost a monastic calling something of a higher order, and they’re brilliantly educated and funny.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Oct. 2025
-
As the numbers of women at the highest echelons of learning continue to grow, women will likewise expand their ability to take leadership roles in their monastic and lay communities – helping to improve other nuns’ education and protecting Tibetan culture in the process.—
Darcie Price-Wallace,
The Conversation,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The schools said Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian friar and Villanova alumnus, was the inspiration for scheduling the game.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
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Pope Leo recently wrote the introduction to a new edition of The Practice of the Presence of God, written by 17th century French Carmelite friar Brother Lawrence of the Resurrection.—
Martin Scorsese,
Time,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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To create an elevated experience for a 1,000-plus-room property that’s consistent with its high-level service and amenities—from food options to water activities to spa experience—is a feat not for the novice hotelier.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 Apr. 2026
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As a novice pitched against a veteran, there could be only one outcome—his death.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anchoress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchoress. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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