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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churchly
Adjective
  • Rose Glass' directorial debut is an ecclesiastical horror that offsets the fine line between devotion and delusion, all while stirring the painful emotions of loneliness and trauma.
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Her historic appointment—a first in the 1,400 years since Saint Augustine founded the diocese after landing in England—will fuel the long-running debate not only in the Anglican church, but also other Christian churches, about the ecclesiastical role of women.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Think of it like an ecclesiastic LinkedIn.
    Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • During their first reign from 1996-2001, the Taliban had outlawed all music besides non-instrumental religious chanting, enforcing the ban with brutal tactics that included a suicide bombing at an ANIM student concert.
    Vidushi Mishti Sharma, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Following religious conviction, pride in one's homeland and confidence in its future is the sentiment that very well might induce the most people to get married and have children.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Churchly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churchly. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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