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
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
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was selected to become Iran's supreme leader last weekend by the country's council of religious clerics after serving as a close aide to his father for years.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 15 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
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Wednesday reportedly broke his silence in his first message since being appointed last week by a council of clerics, according to state television.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 17 Mar. 2026
Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, was selected to become Iran's supreme leader last weekend by the country's council of religious clerics after serving as a close aide to his father for years.
—Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 15 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
Iran’s new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Wednesday reportedly broke his silence in his first message since being appointed last week by a council of clerics, according to state television.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for cleric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for cleric
Noun
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The actor will portray Father Fintan, a Native American spiritualist and Catholic priest.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 Mar. 2026
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Kilmer had been cast as Catholic priest Father Fintan, but was never able to make it on set because of his health struggles and eventual death in 2025.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
18 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Gabriel Olivier, an evangelical preacher, was arrested in May 2021 by police in Brandon, Mississippi, for protesting outside of a city amphitheater with a group.—
Julian Mark,
Washington Post,
20 Mar. 2026
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City said preacher had other options The lawyer for the city of Brandon noted that Olivier had other ways of taking on the restrictions, including challenging them as a violation of the state constitution’s free speech protections.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Cleric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/cleric. Accessed 24 Mar. 2026.
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