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
Leo spoke during a gathering of top bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, an Eastern Rite Catholic church whose clerics are in Rome to elect a new patriarch.
—
Nbc News, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Weeks later, Ruhollah Khomeini, an Islamist cleric, emerged as the new theocratic state’s supreme leader and fueled extreme anti-American sentiment.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
The relative success of the war elevated the Revolutionary Guard from a small, street-level militia, initially created to protect Khomeini and the other clerics at the forefront of the Islamic Revolution, into the symbolic defenders of the theocracy.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Officially, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is the military force sworn to protect Iran’s ruling clerics.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Nbc News, NBC news, 10 Apr. 2026
Weeks later, Ruhollah Khomeini, an Islamist cleric, emerged as the new theocratic state’s supreme leader and fueled extreme anti-American sentiment.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
The relative success of the war elevated the Revolutionary Guard from a small, street-level militia, initially created to protect Khomeini and the other clerics at the forefront of the Islamic Revolution, into the symbolic defenders of the theocracy.
—Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2026
Officially, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is the military force sworn to protect Iran’s ruling clerics.
—The Week Us, TheWeek, 6 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
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Sebastian Kneipp, a 19th century German Catholic priest and early pioneer of naturopathy, promoted nature exposure, water therapy and barefoot walking as exercise and a way to stimulate circulation and support overall health, including immune function.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
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Father Ludovic Lado, a priest from Cameroon, expressed apprehension — shared by opposition groups — that this could pave the way for dynastic succession.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Dollison was a regular contributor to the Church of Christ publication The Living Message, which credited him as being a major inspiration for many influential Arkansas Church of Christ preachers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Apr. 2026
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The performances had the energy and verve of a Pentecostal revival, with James playing the role of charismatic preacher.—
Daniel Kohn,
Rolling Stone,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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