BISHOP Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

bishop

noun

Definition of bishop

as in archbishop

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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 bishop Under the church’s in-house canon law, consecrating a bishop without papal consent incurs an automatic excommunication for both the people administering the consecration and the bishops receiving it. — ABC News, 1 July 2026 Under church law, consecrating bishops without papal approval is considered a schismatic act and carries automatic excommunication for both the bishops being ordained and the bishop performing the ceremony. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026 Checchio is the former bishop of Metuchen, who recently became archbishop of New Orleans. — Tony Aiello, CBS News, 29 June 2026 For example, the Life of Saint Æthelwold is a tenth-century biography that narrates the holy life of an English bishop. — Literary Hub, 25 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for bishop

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bishop

Noun

The mother of the former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was taken; so were an Anglican archbishop and his wife.

— Alexis Okeowo, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026
Saint Agnes, a historic church founded for German-speaking immigrants in what’s now a diverse, central neighborhood in Minnesota’s capital, offers one traditional Latin Mass per weekend, with the archbishop’s permission.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of archbishop

Noun

Take a look The White Sox's papal play Pope Leo XIV got a tribute Tuesday night when the White Sox hosted the Cincinnati Reds, as over 40,000 pope hats were handed out to fans and even players.

— Nicole Fallert, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
The pope especially wanted to avoid having tech firms establish the ethics for artificial intelligence.

— Yonat Shimron, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of pope

Noun

The court found that Shi used his positions, including as the temple abbot, to illegally embezzle more than $19 million alone or in conspiracy with others, between 2003 and 2025, CCTV reported.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
According to a relative of Nathan who provided some of the sources Amit studied, the abbot reportedly also wrote letters to the Vatican and to monasteries in Switzerland pleading for a safe exit for Wolfgang.

— Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026

Definition of abbot

Noun

The first is the strikingly Gothic diocesan throne, which sits in the cathedral choir and dates from the Victorian era.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
The diocesan website includes a statement from Dallas Bishop Edward Burns connecting the need for social distancing with the story of the Good Samaritan.

— David Tarrant, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2020

Definition of diocesan

Noun

Pernkopf was a Nazi functionary who became dean of the medical faculty in 1938 and rector of the university in 1943.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Kuehl pivoted to academia, eventually becoming an associate dean of students at her alma mater, UCLA, before earning a law degree from Harvard in 1978 at age 34.

— Sophie Clausen, PEOPLE, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

This would be the case also for an apostate, heretic, schismatic bishop, presbyter, or deacon.

— Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
Before coming to Birmingham, Webster had served 18 years as executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in southern New Mexico.

— Greg Garrison, AL.com, 19 July 2017

Definition of presbyter

Noun

The group was founded in 1970 in Switzerland by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a French prelate, but five years later was officially suppressed by the Bishop of Fribourg.

— Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
In roughly 33 hours over the course of two days, the diverse group of international prelates elected Prevost on the fourth ballot.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026

Definition of prelate

Noun

History Johann Ludwig Krapf, a German pastor and Anglican missionary, arrived to proselytize in what is now Kenya in 1844.

— Stephanie TriplettAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Hersey — reporting on a clerk, a tailor’s widow, two doctors, a priest, and a pastor — gave US readers their first sense of what the new superweapon did to human bodies.

— Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of pastor

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“Bishop.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bishop. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of bishop

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