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
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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
Noun
-
Hildegard was a Catholic abbess of the Benedictine Order.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
Later that evening, the nun took Eileen’s clothes, then cut off her hair and changed her name.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
-
Olivier Poquillon, the director of the French School of Biblical and Archaeological Research, said that the nun was a researcher at the school.—
Melanie Lidman,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
On May 6, 2026, a historic ceremony was held where a robot received the Buddhist precepts from a monk.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
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Additionally, the Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh attracted attention in the United States not only with his opposition to the Vietnam War but also with his notion of Engaged Buddhism, which emphasizes improving human life through political activism and everyday acts of mindfulness.—
Charles Preston,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
As the first year of Leo’s historic pontificate comes to a close, the longtime missionary and Augustinian friar remains a stalwart champion of migrants, the poor and care for the environment, a trinity of issues at the core of his ministry.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
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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
Noun
-
Real Madrid are at war with each other and are being coached by a novice.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
During the ceremony, Gabi also took part in purification rituals traditionally reserved for novice monks.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Anchoress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchoress. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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