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
Because of the unique position of the pope, a cleric with his own tiny state and significant global influence, the book is also a chronicle of contemporary international affairs.
—
Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
However, he is also seen as pragmatic and never clashed openly with Francis, unlike other tradition-minded clerics.
—Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alvise Armellini, Joshua McElwee and Chris Scicluna, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
But the interview revealed Francis as a complex, brooding figure—a Catholic whose deep faith seemed personal more than theological or institutional, and a cleric who was at once self-critical and critical of the Church he had been elected to lead.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
The clerics getting the celebrity treatment mobbed by reporters tracking their every move.
—ABC News, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025
However, he is also seen as pragmatic and never clashed openly with Francis, unlike other tradition-minded clerics.
—Philip Pullella, Crispian Balmer, Alvise Armellini, Joshua McElwee and Chris Scicluna, USA Today, 21 Apr. 2025
But the interview revealed Francis as a complex, brooding figure—a Catholic whose deep faith seemed personal more than theological or institutional, and a cleric who was at once self-critical and critical of the Church he had been elected to lead.
—Paul Elie, New Yorker, 21 Apr. 2025
The clerics getting the celebrity treatment mobbed by reporters tracking their every move.
—ABC News, 4 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
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In the previous episode, Mandy confessed to her priest and had guilty nightmares about her tricky predicament.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
16 May 2025
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Survivors organizations have accused him of allowing the Rev. James Ray, a priest accused of abusing minors and whose ministry had been restricted since 1991, to live at the Augustinian’s St. John Stone Friary in Hyde Park in 2000 despite its proximity to a Catholic elementary school.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2025
Noun
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Until his death in Pennsylvania last year, Gülen, a Turkish Muslim preacher who was accused of plotting a coup against President Recep Tayyip in 2016, was wanted as a terrorist leader in Turkey and Pakistan.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
14 May 2025
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David Aries aligns with David, a preacher and the leader of a group of cannibalistic survivors.—
Skyler Caruso,
People.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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