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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Today, the priests are on the road to canonization, and an associate of theirs, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez, is one of Bukele’s most outspoken critics.—
Carolina A. Miranda,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2025
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Bishops must live in poverty and simplicity, generously opening their homes to all and acting as a father figure and brother to his priests, Leo said.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Balmer, who visited him in Baton Rouge while researching a 1998 magazine piece about the disgraced preacher, said Swaggart struggled mightily after his fall from grace.—
Marc Ramirez,
USA Today,
2 July 2025
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But the outcome was far different when the preacher went after Gorman, who like Swaggart had an international television ministry.—
Steve Marble,
Los Angeles Times,
1 July 2025
Noun
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His intelligence sources ranged from an anonymous stable boy to the minister Samuel Mather, son of the Puritan clergyman Cotton Mather and a brother-in-law of Massachusetts’ royal governor, Thomas Hutchinson.—
Eliza McGraw,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 June 2025
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And there’s one collared clergyman hoisted onto someone’s shoulders.—
Katie Primm,
NBC news,
9 May 2025
Noun
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The fan is just one of many sent to the church in recent days after its pastor, Village Trustee Randall White, publicized the plight of residents trying to survive nearly 100-degree temperatures without the benefit of working air conditioners.—
Jerry Shnay,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
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Patrick Moses, pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church and 2024 Democratic candidate for sheriff, is running to fill the unexpired term of Crystal Gayden.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clergyperson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergyperson. Accessed 13 Jul. 2025.
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