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

Some years ago, the State met me in behalf of the Church, and commanded me to pay a certain sum toward the support of a clergyman whose preaching my father attended, but never I myself.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
But the heart of this production is the dramatic soprano Christine Goerke, who plays a deceased clergyman known as the Reverend.

— Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of clergyman

Noun

But the priest begins to quietly resist, secretly returning the bodies to their families at great personal risk.

— Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026
The federal agents departed the hospital shortly after a priest appeared at the scene of the protest, video shows.

— Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of priest

Noun

But DeFalco is drawn to the sidewalk dwellers, street preachers and parking-lot boozers who also lurk down there and help (or hinder) Ten, usually at a loud volume.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
Hollander plays Judge Jack Taylor, an authoritative man who weighs his words carefully, possessing both the warmth and charm of a country preacher and the cold edge of a cult leader.

— Matt Grobar, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of preacher

Noun

For the same reasons little dogs appeared so frequently at the feet of dead women (and clerics) in tomb sculpture, plenty of Renaissance portraits feature them as a symbol of fidelity.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Attendance was mandatory, but a cleric with a loudspeaker tried to give the event a festive air.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of cleric

Noun

For example, on the surface, the Hallelujah Diet book appears to be a Christian diet, written by a reverend.

— Adrienne Krone, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2026
The series followed a reverend, his wife, and their seven children through life’s ups and downs.

— Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Nov. 2026

Definition of reverend

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

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“Churchman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churchman. Accessed 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of churchman

noun

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