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
The second episode is largely confined to the dark walls which Irons’ next-door prisoner, a cleric known as the Abbé Faria, has spent years trying to painstakingly chisel his way through.
—
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
Even the most die-hard anti-American cleric in the Iranian political system did not harbor illusions that Iran could defeat the United States in conventional ways.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
These clerics have spent our money for years on missiles and drones, and on funding Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
But the Iranian system of clerics and militants defied the president, selecting in Khamenei’s son a man viewed as even more hostile to the West than his father was.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
Even the most die-hard anti-American cleric in the Iranian political system did not harbor illusions that Iran could defeat the United States in conventional ways.
—Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
These clerics have spent our money for years on missiles and drones, and on funding Hamas and Hezbollah.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
But the Iranian system of clerics and militants defied the president, selecting in Khamenei’s son a man viewed as even more hostile to the West than his father was.
—Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
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He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Island in 1994 and served as vicar general and pastor of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary before his 2021 appointment to Colorado Springs, according to the archdiocese.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
Denver Post,
26 Mar. 2026
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Chief among his many complaints was the Catholic Church’s sale of indulgences, which had become not only widespread but even mandatory for many priests, in order to generate funds to pay for the construction of Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His father, much older than his mom, was a preacher who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Moreover, as soon as Christianity began to spread outside his native land, Christian converts faced new situations in unexpected contexts, completely different from those of their founder, an itinerant Jewish preacher in the sparsely populated hinterlands of rural Galilee.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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