celibate

as in chaste
not engaging in sexual intercourse celibate monks and nuns They have chosen to lead celibate lives.

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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 celibate For many traditionalists, effective enforcement of this teaching would mean cracking down on homosexuality among the clergy, including gay clergy who are celibate and chaste. Massimo Faggioli, Foreign Affairs, 11 Oct. 2018 In 1971, at the age of 21, Modi became a pracharak—a member of a bureaucracy of celibate Hindu men working for the RSS. Kanchan Chandra, Foreign Affairs, 30 Mar. 2017 If someone is celibate, don’t guess their theology. Big Think, 26 Mar. 2025 Competition with Islam led Christians to adjust their views on pacifism and procreation: by the twelfth century, violence against Muslims was holy and the production of children to aid in the fight was, for those not required to be celibate, a Christian duty. S. C. Cornell, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for celibate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for celibate
Adjective
  • In Zone 6, chaste tree may die back to the ground in winter but resprouts in the following growing season.
    Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 10 June 2025
  • By bedtime, Jeremiah and Huda are already making out under the covers and Belle-A has negotiated one chaste spoon with Nic, but no one else seems ready to get close.
    Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 4 June 2025
Adjective
  • The cross-continent trek for Rye Riptides, which students and now-retired Rye Junior High School science teacher Sheila Adams stuffed with photos of the Rye students, a facemask with their signatures on it, fall leaves, acorns and state quarters, was conducted with the help of Educational Passages.
    Ian Lenahan, USA TODAY, 17 Feb. 2022
  • The totem pole was carved by members of the Lummi Nation and is being transported from their home in Washington state to Washington, D.C., as part of a 15-day, cross-continent journey to advocate for the protection of sacred places and the expansion of tribal sovereignty rights.
    Zak Podmore, The Salt Lake Tribune, 18 July 2021
Adjective
  • The homes housed unmarried pregnant women as well as tens of thousands of orphans, according to The Associated Press.
    Sophia Compton, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2025
  • The Bon Secours home was one of many such institutions in Ireland where unmarried pregnant women were sent to give birth in secret.
    Christina Coulter, People.com, 18 June 2025
Adjective
  • Official portraits projected her as a modern iteration of 19th-century royal mothers—soft, demure, virginal.
    Air Mail, Air Mail, 10 May 2025
  • In fact, a single Old Testament line might be the source for the virginal aspect of the cult of Mary.
    Lamorna Ash, The Dial, 6 May 2025
Adjective
  • On July 8, U.S. soldiers escorting a train fired at crowds in Hammond, killing an innocent bystander.
    Robert Loerzel, Chicago Tribune, 22 June 2025
  • However, Vance’s spokesperson said the mix-up was an innocent mistake.
    Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 21 June 2025
Adjective
  • Refined coconut oil usually has a shorter shelf life than virgin olive oil.
    Health, Health, 14 May 2025
  • Adding extra virgin olive oil to your diet may help reduce pain levels over time.
    Maggie O'Neill, Verywell Health, 16 Apr. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Celibate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/celibate. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.

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