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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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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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
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Hildegard von Bingen, a Benedictine abbess and eventual saint, lived in the Middle Ages, when women’s lives were severely restricted.—
Faith Hill,
The Atlantic,
2 June 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
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In third grade, inspired by her teacher, Sister Jean felt a calling to become a nun.—
Shannon Ryan,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Amusingly, the elderly nun’s vow of silence permits her only a chiding glance whenever unfiltered María Ángeles’ conversation turns salty.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Barghouti has spent more than 20 years in prison and is serving five life sentences after his 2004 conviction for the murder of four Israelis and a Greek Orthodox monk during the second Palestinian intifada, or uprising.—
Yamiche Alcindor,
NBC news,
10 Oct. 2025
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That’s not a plea to live like a monk.—
Morgan Housel,
CNBC,
7 Oct. 2025
Noun
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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
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Explore medieval monastic ruins on Innisfallen Island, and immerse yourself in ancient silence.—
Andrea Bussell,
Travel + Leisure,
7 July 2025
Noun
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Guido eventually became a Dominican friar, dedicating himself to making art within the mendicant order; after his death, in 1455, he became known as Fra Angelico, or the Angelic Friar.—
Louise Bokkenheuser,
Air Mail,
4 Oct. 2025
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When Las Casas first landed in Hispaniola (today divided by Haiti in the west and the Dominican Republic in the east), his head was already crowned with a friar’s tonsure.—
Greg Grandin
September 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Pitch & Putt is a short nine-hole course that’s well-suited for novice players.—
Erin Gifford,
Southern Living,
12 Oct. 2025
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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,
9 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Anchoress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchoress. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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