CHURCHMAN Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

churchman

noun

Definition of churchman

as in clergyman

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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 churchman Meanwhile, churchmen claimed the authority to restrain violence, encouraged just wars and threatened violent behaviors with spiritual sanctions. — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026 Not all birth rituals depended on the intercession of a saint or the authority of a churchman. — Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026 The good news about the release of Álvarez and the other 18 Catholic churchmen is tempered by the imposition of their exile and by the knowledge that other advocates for freedom in Nicaragua remain behind bars. — David Harsanyi, National Review, 25 Jan. 2024 They were abetted by the Latin churchmen who forged the Donation of Constantine as the pope’s license to appoint a king of the Romans. — Dominic Green, WSJ, 22 Dec. 2023 See All Example Sentences for churchman

Recent Examples of Synonyms for churchman

Noun

One local widow wants the world to honor the 2,977 killed, including her husband, a clergyman who kept a Bible on hand while traveling.

— Meg Kinnard, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026
Alongside Garfield’s Ploughman is Cosmo Jarvis as the true historical figure Wat Tyler, Jamie Bell as clergyman John Ball and Thomasin McKenzie as fellow rebel Alyce.

— Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of clergyman

Noun

Unlike Christian priests and medicine men, who generally command respect, rainmakers are sometimes seen as malicious people who retaliate against whole communities for quarrels with their neighbors.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 20 Sep. 2026
He was given the Last Rites by a priest in the hospital before making a miraculous recovery.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of priest

Noun

Anton offers him protection, money and a possible escape from Stonemore, while an enigmatic local preacher (played by Kirby), presents him with a very different path.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Soon, the vast stadium was packed — not with rugby fans or concertgoers, but with thousands who came to pray with an African preacher.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of preacher

Noun

Also figuring prominently in the proceedings is the cleric’s acolyte Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit), a fictional character representing the many women who took part in the movement.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026
In Iraq, the faction earned rebukes from clerics who had previously supported global jihad as well as from more mainstream religious leaders.

— Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of cleric

Noun

Of all the precious goods accumulated by the rulers and ecclesiastics of late medieval Ethiopia, the most charged of all were books.

— Peter Brown, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020
This shop for ecclesiastics has an exquisite selection of high-quality pieces.

— Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2019

Definition of ecclesiastic

Noun

The Mexican fan palm, supposedly brought here by the mission-building padres to supply Palm Sunday foliage, can grow taller, maybe 10 stories, and skinnier, and can dip and sway camera-readily in the wind.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
The group has since evolved to the comité de padres and grown to roughly 30 mothers.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024

Definition of padre

Browse Nearby Words

churchly

churchman

churchmen

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Style

“Churchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churchman. Accessed 22 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of churchman

noun

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