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
Along with activists, organizers, clergy and others, state politicians joined the rally, included U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, U.S. Rep. John Larson, D-1, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and state lawmakers.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Each campus is maintaining its name, religious services and clergy.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2025
The clergy asked them to be ready to defend their neighbors in the coming days.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
In Los Angeles, federal agents have detained clergy and journalists.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2025
Each campus is maintaining its name, religious services and clergy.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 19 June 2025
The clergy asked them to be ready to defend their neighbors in the coming days.
—Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
In Los Angeles, federal agents have detained clergy and journalists.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergy
Noun
-
All day, a steady stream of young people from across the state wearing T-shirts emblazoned with the names of their CrossFit gyms or their church groups presented themselves at the station, offering assistance.—
Rachel Monroe,
New Yorker,
11 July 2025
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Other Republicans promised to bulldoze the Department of Education, to end affirmative action, and to get rid of rules limiting church involvement in elections.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
11 July 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
-
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 19 Jul. 2025.
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