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 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 For instance, singer Omarion recently revealed that he’s been celibate for the past three years during an interview with André Duqum’s Know Thyself podcast. Elizabeth Ayoola, Essence, 12 Sep. 2024 Cheryl Burke doesn't mind being single and celibate. Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 14 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for celibate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for celibate
Adjective
  • 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
  • In Zone 6, chaste tree will die back to the ground in the winter and vigorously regrow in spring to a 5 or 6-foot shrub.
    Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 28 May 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
  • More unmarried couples have been starting families.
    Faith Hill, The Atlantic, 5 May 2025
  • Without Social Security, 41% of elderly unmarried women would fall below the poverty line.
    Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • 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
  • Would the virginal and so presumably menstruating Mary have been barred from worshipping her son?
    S. C. Cornell, The New Yorker, 12 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • To insinuate yourself into someone’s life, the biggest manipulators act like the most innocent victims.
    Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 9 June 2025
  • Loew was made the mark in a kind of confidence game, Schulberg recalls, with Thalberg and Mayer putting on a show of activity at the failing Louis B. Mayer Productions that nonetheless impressed the Hollywood innocent.
    Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 9 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 17 Jun. 2025.

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