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
That ornery cleric was Moqtada al-Sadr, the son of Mohammad Sadiq al-Sadr, a grand ayatollah assassinated almost certainly by Saddam’s order in 1999.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
While some conservative clerics still frown upon women taking part in beauty pageants, many others in the Muslim community have been supportive of Hashwi.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Local cleric Mufti Fazal had led funeral prayers at multiple locations since Friday morning.
—Muhammad Sajjad, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
The novelty of clerics at Davos signals a deeper realignment.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
While some conservative clerics still frown upon women taking part in beauty pageants, many others in the Muslim community have been supportive of Hashwi.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Local cleric Mufti Fazal had led funeral prayers at multiple locations since Friday morning.
—Muhammad Sajjad, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2025
The novelty of clerics at Davos signals a deeper realignment.
—Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
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When Richardson left the church, the priest alerted law enforcement.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
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After reviewing those court records, anyone with an ounce of humanity would come away furious at the criminal cover-up perpetrated against innocent young children by priests.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
26 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Carolyn Smith, the late preacher’s daughter, said her father — like Pendleton a Knoxville College graduate — was instrumental in recruiting Pendleton and other Black educators to teach in San Diego.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Sep. 2025
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Most famously, the late preacher and radio host Harold Camping predicted doomsday again and again.—
C. A. Bridges,
AZCentral.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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