as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
a clergyperson of your choice would be the best one to advise on this spiritual matter
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Recent Examples of clergyperson
What makes the family tradition sustainable in central Massachusetts, where the Vallelis now live, is a pastor-sharing arrangement between two congregations that couldn’t afford a full-time clergyperson on their own.
—
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2020
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergyperson
Noun
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The man, named as 69-year-old Morimasa Hibino by the Japanese embassy, was spotted in the ditch next to the monument about seven meters (23 feet) below the street level by a priest who alerted authorities.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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The paranormal investigators claim to have been summoned by a priest named Father Cooke when two young women — Donna and Angie — wanted to perform an exorcism to get rid of the spirit of a dead 7-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had inhabited their doll.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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And there’s always a hint of the preacher in his speaking appearances.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
3 Nov. 2025
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Others said preachers twisted scripture to silence them.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hopkins' performance is wide-ranging, swinging the pendulum from an eccentric clergyman to a man overcome by darkness.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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Meanwhile, cousin Edmund, an aspiring clergyman, falls under the charms of Mary Crawford, written by Austen as a charming but immoral woman.—
Emily Zarevich,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Flores, an Oklahoma City-area pastor, trafficked members of his church , according to officials.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Kansas City Star,
3 Nov. 2025
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One of them was Bernhard Riemann, a shy young man who had originally planned to study theology — his father was a pastor — before being drawn to mathematics.—
Quanta Magazine,
Quanta Magazine,
3 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clergyperson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergyperson. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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