clergywoman

noun

Definition of clergywomannext
as in clergyman

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of clergywoman Patterson, an ordained clergywoman with a background in healthcare, joined the Legislature via a special election in 2020. — oregonlive, 8 Nov. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergywoman
  1. clergyman
  2. priestess
  3. deaconess
  4. bishop
  5. churchman
  6. clergyperson
  7. priest
  8. archbishop
Noun
  • Some years ago, the State met me in behalf of the Church, and commanded me to pay a certain sum toward the support of a clergyman whose preaching my father attended, but never I myself.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • But the heart of this production is the dramatic soprano Christine Goerke, who plays a deceased clergyman known as the Reverend.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of clergyman
Noun
  • Or would Azriel instead mate with Gwyn, the traumatized priestess turned badass Valkyrie warrior whose early experience of violence echoes Azriel’s own?
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The oracle was a priestess who entered a trance state to convey answers from Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy.
    — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of priestess
Noun
  • Then in 1964, Parks became a deaconess in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
    — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
  • In her younger years, Webb was an avid churchgoer in Baltimore, Maryland alongside her father, a deacon, and her mother, a deaconess, who met in a church choir.
    — Robyn Mowatt, ELLE, 22 June 2023
Definition of deaconess
Noun
  • Cyprian was executed in 258, becoming the first bishop-martyr of Africa.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Leo lived in Peru as a missionary priest and bishop for over 20 years.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of bishop
Noun
  • Just before the Devil drawing is a churchman’s confession of a lengthy list of sins.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, churchmen claimed the authority to restrain violence, encouraged just wars and threatened violent behaviors with spiritual sanctions.
    — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of churchman
Noun
  • Seven top clergypersons of the Armenian Apostolic Church, including the church head, Karekin II, have been charged with crimes related to the church’s refusal to restore a mutinous bishop.
    — Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of clergyperson
Noun
  • But the priest begins to quietly resist, secretly returning the bodies to their families at great personal risk.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 7 Nov. 2026
  • The federal agents departed the hospital shortly after a priest appeared at the scene of the protest, video shows.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of priest
Noun
  • In neighboring Uruguay, where Leo’s visit is expected to energize the Catholic minority in a country that officially celebrates Christmas as Family Day, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, the archbishop of Montevideo, tempered hopes for the historic visit.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The festival closes with Sam Pollard’s Tutu, a profile of the South African archbishop, anti-Apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.
    — Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of archbishop

Browse Nearby Words

clergypersons
clergywoman
clergywomen
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Cite this Entry

“Clergywoman.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergywoman. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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