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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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
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The 12th-century abbess, composer, philosopher, and visionary becomes a thrilling subject when backed by modular synths, Ukrainian folk singing, and high medieval music.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
30 May 2025
Noun
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At least 15 people were killed including, two nuns.—
Jacqueline Charles
July 11,
Miami Herald,
11 July 2025
-
Thorn branched into fiction in 1990 with Je t’ai dans la peau, starring Solveig Dommartin as a nun who falls in love with a priest and then becomes a union and feminist activist.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Eric-the-junkie had intoned to his even-then-passé parents, old-schoolers bent on building systems that would stick, that the monks were celebrating the ephemeral beauty of physical existence.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 July 2025
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Last month, in a rare meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, the Tibetan monk reaffirmed his allegiance to the rule of the Communist Party and pledged to make his religion more Chinese – a tenet of Xi’s policy on religion.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
3 July 2025
Noun
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Explore medieval monastic ruins on Innisfallen Island, and immerse yourself in ancient silence.—
Andrea Bussell,
Travel + Leisure,
7 July 2025
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While the Thai Buddhism depicted in The White Lotus is not completely realistic, there are several authentic ways to engage deeply with Buddhism, ranging from offering donations to short meditation retreats to ordination as a monastic.—
Brooke Schedneck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Discalced Carmelite Fathers Monastery in Munster was founded in 1952 by a group of Polish Discalced Carmelite friars who came to America after World War II to devote themselves to the pastoral care of their countrymen.—
Philip Potempa,
Chicago Tribune,
11 July 2025
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Today, there are some 2,800 Augustinian friars in almost 50 countries worldwide.—
Joanne M. Pierce,
The Conversation,
27 May 2025
Noun
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This makes these spots good for young anglers and novices as well as those with mobility challenges.—
Kaitlyn Keegan,
Hartford Courant,
10 July 2025
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Two pilots in uniform greeted us and put all of us novice fliers at ease, giving us a rundown about the safety measures between cracking jokes.—
Sabrina Weiss,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Noun
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But the fate of the votary is to require and receive a constant renewal of faith.—
Jeff Weiss,
Spin,
21 Aug. 2023
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Many remember the Cultural Revolution as a time of Red Guard excess—of the people terrorizing the votaries of the party.—
Mary Gallagher,
Foreign Affairs,
20 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Anchoress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchoress. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.
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