as in church
the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church
when people find out she's a member of the clergy, they suddenly change their manner
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Recent Examples of clergy
These advocacy groups also hope that through this outreach clergy can counter some of the fear that's supplanted the safety and comfort many immigrants experience by belonging to faith congregations.
—
Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 4 July 2025
The rhetoric depicting immigrants as criminals has been hurtful to many community members, clergy members told the Journal Sentinel.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Many Catholic leaders rejected the pope’s stance, with bishops in Africa, Poland and other parts of the world refusing to implement the policy or barring their clergy from offering these blessings.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
While federal officers have been arresting people at courthouses since President Donald Trump promised mass deportations around the country, nobody was seized while clergy was on-site.
—Blake Nelson, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Liam Adams, The Tennessean, 4 July 2025
The rhetoric depicting immigrants as criminals has been hurtful to many community members, clergy members told the Journal Sentinel.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 3 July 2025
Many Catholic leaders rejected the pope’s stance, with bishops in Africa, Poland and other parts of the world refusing to implement the policy or barring their clergy from offering these blessings.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2025
While federal officers have been arresting people at courthouses since President Donald Trump promised mass deportations around the country, nobody was seized while clergy was on-site.
—Blake Nelson, Mercury News, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergy
Noun
-
Parishioners of Holy Trinity have suggested the Archdiocese is looking to close the church.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
16 Aug. 2025
-
The event will run until 11 p.m. The First Lutheran Church of Plano will host a free community shredding event and a food and book drive from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 20, at the church, 200 N. Center St. in Plano.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Vatican observers have long speculated that Francis saw Prevost as a potential successor, especially given his rapid rise and central role in shaping the modern episcopate.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
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Amicable relations had long existed between the Catholic Church in Rome and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but the Roman episcopate embraced Mussolini’s regime and its aggressive foreign policy in the mid-1930s.—
Ian Campbell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Clergy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergy. Accessed 22 Aug. 2025.
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