anchoress

noun

variants or ancress
Definition of anchoressnext
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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anchoress
  1. prioress
  2. abbess
  3. religious
  4. nun
  5. monk
  6. monastic
  7. friar
  8. novice
Noun
  • The slow-burn thriller is partially based on a 17th century ballad in which the heroic outlaw’s cousin, a malevolent prioress, bleeds the older, ailing Robin to death under the guise of the ancient medical treatment known as bloodletting.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026
  • After Robin is gravely injured, he is taken in by the sage prioress Brigid (Jodie Comer), who nurses him back to health at an island convent.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Definition of prioress
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
Definition of abbess
Noun
  • As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras.
    — Laura Rodríguez Presa, chicagotribune.com, 11 Sep. 2020
Definition of religious
Noun
  • But points must be taken off for thinking a lesbian nun would only have gotten laid as a layperson.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
  • Tenzin, born Barbara Emi, spent years as a Buddhist nun, studying under the Dalai Lama.
    — Christopher Cox, Vanity Fair, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of nun
Noun
  • Seekers, meanwhile, runs to six parts and follows the human experience through the eyes of an Amazonian chief, an Advaita monk, an African healer, a Hindu sage, a Native grandmother and a Buddhist psychologist.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Brazilian artist and former Carmelite monk Rodrigo Cassdied at 43 in a fatal accident yesterday on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, his gallery Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel stated on social media.
    — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of monk
Noun
  • The Bible’s message was seen as not only informative but salvific, and the monastic who memorized its words filled his or her soul with divine wisdom.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
  • Historical questions remain, however, regarding whether such practices were primarily reserved for monastics or widely practiced among laypeople.
    — Daniel M. Stuart, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of monastic
Noun
  • The tour guide, a man dressed up as a friar, walks over to the small memorial site.
    — Sonjirose Chin, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
  • The film, which is playing Out of Competition on the Lido, charts the brutality of Spanish friar Padre Enciso over the population in the 17th century.
    — Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of friar
Noun
  • To a novice taster, sipping out of a plastic Mets carafe, the wine smelled like dry grass and very ripe blackberries.
    — Arthur Holland Michel, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The sizable number of offerings in every box can help bean novices get acquainted with new products and strengthen their bond with favorites.
    — Rebecca Firkser, Bon Appetit Magazine, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of novice

Browse Nearby Words

anchored
anchoress
anchoresses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Anchoress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchoress. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of heterodox

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 2

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All