as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
clerics were sharply divided on the issue of whether the war was morally justified
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Recent Examples of cleric
In addition to reportedly attending Zaman’s inauguration event, Fateh also signed a Quran belonging to the controversial cleric shortly after being elected to office.
—
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2025
The real authority lies in the hands of Islamist clerics and militia leaders.
—Hadeel Oueis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
The streets belonged as much to students, feminists, merchants, liberals, and industrial workers as to clerics.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The daily struggle of ordinary Iranians to make ends meet is a persistent challenge for the ruling clerics, who fear a revival of demonstrations that have erupted periodically by lower- and middle-income communities angry at enduring hardship.
—Elwely Elwelly, Reuters, 27 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2025
The real authority lies in the hands of Islamist clerics and militia leaders.
—Hadeel Oueis, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Aug. 2025
The streets belonged as much to students, feminists, merchants, liberals, and industrial workers as to clerics.
—Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 4 Aug. 2025
The daily struggle of ordinary Iranians to make ends meet is a persistent challenge for the ruling clerics, who fear a revival of demonstrations that have erupted periodically by lower- and middle-income communities angry at enduring hardship.
—Elwely Elwelly, Reuters, 27 Aug. 2024
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
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The investigation involves local police, priests, and a house of God.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Sep. 2025
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The most high profile of which is The Haunting of Hill House, but Midnight Mass, the story of a priest who arrives at a small island community performing miracles, is easily one of his best.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And throughout a 100-minute show, Cain recounted the story of a preacher’s daughter through wailing vocals, haunting drones, and meditative, languorous chants.—
Audrey Gibbs,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Sep. 2025
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From there, the plot pretzels itself into typical noir convolution, giving us an excuse to meet all sorts of characters, not least a shady local preacher played by Chris Evans, who uses his almost embarrassingly all-American good looks to convey treacle and snake oil.—
Daniel Bromfield,
Mercury News,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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