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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James Weiss, an Episcopal priest and professor of church history at Boston College.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
4 May 2025
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The skeleton showed no major signs of stress, which fits with the lifestyle of a priest who would have performed little to no physical work.—
Paul Smaglik,
Discover Magazine,
2 May 2025
Noun
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But while the Gemstones themselves have embraced Kelvin and his coming out, the rest of the world — particularly rival preacher Vance Simkins (Stephen Dorff), Kelvin’s competition for the ridiculous title of Top Christ-Following Man — is more critical.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
21 Apr. 2025
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Preacher Boy shows off his heavenly voice and affinity for jazz music, but his father, an actual preacher, rebukes the genre as the devil’s music, like most good Christians did back then.—
Kathleen Newman-Bremang,
Refinery29,
18 Apr. 2025
Noun
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If clergymen are defrocked and lawyers are disbarred, then alcoholics are delivered, hairdressers are distressed, and pornographers are deluded.—
Richard Lederer,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Mar. 2025
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Kirchner had, a year earlier, backed sanctions for clergymen who publicly opposed the government’s human rights policies, including his decision to annul laws pardoning dictatorship-era atrocities.—
Federico Perelmuter,
The Dial,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Murder victim's family has been 'counting down the minutes' until South Carolina execution Texas pastor with simple dream killed in his own church.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
3 May 2025
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In recent months, pastors with Christian nationalist beliefs have been invited to the White House numerous times.—
Misty White Sidell,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clergyperson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergyperson. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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