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
Despite the judiciary appearing to back away from executions, Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, a hard-line cleric, demanded the execution of protesters in a fiery Friday prayer sermon in Tehran.
—
Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 17 Jan. 2026
An Iranian cleric has called for the death penalty for protesters detained during a nationwide crackdown amid ongoing unrest against the Islamic regime.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Some clerics control enormous charitable foundations worth billions of dollars through donations from followers and budgets from the state, while others operate modest local mosques with minimal resources.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
But since 1979, the Islamic Republic has partially restored Azerbaijani influence, allowing clerics to address constituents in their native language and reintegrating Azerbaijan into central government in Tehran.
—Shukriya Bradost, The Conversation, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Babak Dehghanpisheh, NBC news, 17 Jan. 2026
An Iranian cleric has called for the death penalty for protesters detained during a nationwide crackdown amid ongoing unrest against the Islamic regime.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Some clerics control enormous charitable foundations worth billions of dollars through donations from followers and budgets from the state, while others operate modest local mosques with minimal resources.
—Narges Bajoghli, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
But since 1979, the Islamic Republic has partially restored Azerbaijani influence, allowing clerics to address constituents in their native language and reintegrating Azerbaijan into central government in Tehran.
—Shukriya Bradost, The Conversation, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
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What to expect at the installation Mass The longer-than-normal Mass will have a large attendance with many religious figures such as bishops, priests, deacons and other guests.—
Alexa Herrera,
CBS News,
5 Feb. 2026
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Hundreds of visitors have visited the chapel in recent days to take photos of the image, the parish priest Father Daniele Micheletti said.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Jim Sawyer, a gentlemanly preacher and city council member whose public service had been winding towards a peaceful conclusion, was asked to replace him.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
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Scott said in a statement of his father playing multiple roles as a preacher, priest or pastor.—
Mekishana Pierre,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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