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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He was assigned to Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Overland Park from 2009 to 2015, and in his early years as a priest was at three churches in Osage County.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2026
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Coyote is an author, Zen Buddhist priest, and the voice of 12 Ken Burns documentaries.—
Time,
Time,
10 June 2026
Noun
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Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian and occasional preacher and missionary who held politically conservative views and had been struggling to find work.—
Tim Sullivan,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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My dad was a Methodist preacher from a long line of them.—
John Archibald,
Southern Living,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The trio of vicars starts with James Norton as Sidney Chambers, the doe-eyed clergyman with a taste for cool jazz and clever women.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
14 June 2026
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From the altar, the priest—whom a fellow clergyman introduced as being el Ĉinio, or from China—delivered the readings, blessed the Eucharist, and invited us to interŝanĝi the sign of the paco.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Abbey Johnston, Chief of Fire and Rescue for Bedford County, said at a news conference that the pastor was in the process of evacuating people from the tent due to changes in the weather.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
13 June 2026
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Johnston said the pastor was in the process of evacuating the tent, which has seats for 1,500, when the collapse occurred.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC news,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clergyperson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergyperson. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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