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 churchly That theme, explored with light wit and deep humanity, makes this unabashedly churchly novel strikingly relevant to our conflicted political era. Washington Post, 3 May 2022 The singer and rapper’s weary tales arrive with churchly trills, nu-metal groans, quiet-storm beats, and zero concern for coolness. Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2021 Besides, the current Francis seems revolutionary enough for an era of ecological crisis, humanitarian disaster, and churchly scandal, especially since Wenders has the pope on camera directly sharing his thoughts with the audience. Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2018 Black leather Versace motorcycle jackets sport jeweled crucifixes inspired by Byzantine mosaics, blending edgy coolness with churchly devotion. Rhonda Garelick, The Cut, 10 May 2018 The music was a churchly choir, the lighting diffused, almost baroque. Cathy Horyn, The Cut, 15 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churchly
Adjective
  • Because the actual date of the spring equinox can differ by a day or two, the Catholic Church created a fixed date of March 21 to define it, known as the ecclesiastical equinox.
    Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
  • The first, known as the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, argued the SBC is exempt from a court outside the denomination ruling on an internal church disciplinary matter.
    Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 2 July 2025
Adjective
  • Forbidden passion fueled the plot of The Thorn Birds in which the late Richard Chamberlain, played the priest Ralph de Bricassart, a heartthrob in ecclesiastic wear.
    Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Forget Fleabag, Conclave, Nobody Wants This, or Ramy, there’s a new ecclesiastic bombshell on the block.
    Riann Phillip, Vogue, 31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • At the end of the day students from a religious order went back to the houses of their communities where professors from the order also lived and dined and prayed with them.
    Belinda Luscombe, Time, 1 July 2025
  • The Senate parliamentarian spiked the part of the proposal that would exempt religious institutions from the tax, which, Fansmith says, was part of an effort to exempt the very conservative Hillsdale College from the endowment tax.
    Emma Whitford, Forbes.com, 1 July 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Churchly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churchly. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.

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!