CHAPLAIN Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

chaplain

noun

Definition of chaplain

as in pastor

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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 chaplain After 9/11, Judge’s fire chaplain helmet was presented to Pope John Paul II. — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026 In 1972, William Christopher joined the cast of M*A*S*H as Father John Mulcahy, the Catholic priest who serves as the Army chaplain. — Rachel Flynn, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026 The school encouraged students and staff who need support to contact its counseling services or office of the chaplain. — Shafiq Najib, ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 His father, a Methodist Royal Navy chaplain, died when Tim was 12. — Lisa De Los Reyes, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for chaplain

Recent Examples of Synonyms for chaplain

Noun

Marshall is tied with Democratic pastor Adam Hamilton, while the other four trail to varying degrees.

— Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
Money, money, money Bob Beatty, the political science chair and professor at the University of Washburn, attributed the pastor's strong communication and fundraising skills to his experience leading the Church of the Resurrection in Leawood.

— ABC News, ABC News, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of pastor

Noun

Asher has an omnipresent AI assistant who serves as a kind of fixer/scheduler/confessor.

— John Warner, Chicago Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026
The privilege protects someone who confesses to clergy by allowing the confessor to refuse to disclose confidential information to law enforcement and the courts — and by preventing clergy from disclosing it, too.

— Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of confessor

Noun

In 2018, Father Jan Kevin Schmidt, rector of the cathedral, requested that the Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments grant the title of minor basilica to the historic church in Cincinnati.

— Jennie Key, Cincinnati Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of rector

Noun

The couple were married by a female vicar, per the Daily Mail.

— Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
Nearly every murder is solved by the end of the episode, but despite the unusual twist of having the village vicar team up with the police, the real action comes from the relationships among the characters.

— Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026

Definition of vicar

Noun

This one stars Cox himself as a mysterious and formidable old man in an undertaker’s suit and parson’s hat who wanders into an Arizona border town in 1890 to gather the names of dead Mexican laborers.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
And what does the old man who sleeps by the fire know about the dead parson?

— Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026

Definition of parson

Noun

Leo spent two decades as a missionary in Peru, holds Peruvian citizenship and is beloved by his flock there.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
William Catto brought his family north to Baltimore with plans to eventually travel to Liberia as missionaries.

— Timothy Welbeck, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of missionary

Noun

On April 18, 1049, the pope exempted a nunnery in Alsace – now in Sainte-Croix-en-Plaine, France – from the legal authority and supervision of the local bishop.

— Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
Warren Jeffs then appointed Nephi Jeffs, another brother, as bishop.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of bishop

Noun

In 1976, the residence was redesigned as a retirement home for church missioners.

— George Avalos, Mercury News, 10 June 2026
Kelley Hudlow, missioner for clergy formation for the diocese, told NBC affiliate WVTM of Birmingham soon after the shooting that church leaders were trying to learn more.

— Phil Helsel, NBC News, 17 June 2022

Definition of missioner

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“Chaplain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chaplain. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of chaplain

noun

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