Synonyms of clerical

clerical 1 of 2

adjective

ˈkler-i-kəl 

as in ministerial

of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy

clerical duties such as providing spiritual counseling and leading Bible study classes

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ministerial
• pastoral
• priestly
• sacerdotal
• ecclesiastical
• missionary
• ecclesiastic
• clerkly
• religious
• evangelical
• episcopal
• apostolic
• papal
• diocesan
• divine
• pontifical
• monastic
• patriarchal
• churchly
• canonical
• sacramental
• diaconal
• conventual
• rabbinic
• mendicant
• holy
• caliphal
• monachal

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• secular
• lay
• temporal
• nonclerical

clerical

2 of 2

noun

as in priest

a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church

some of the state's most prominent clericals have spoken out against the measure

Synonyms & Similar Words

• priest
• preacher
• cleric
• clergyman
• bishop
• deacon
• minister
• ecclesiastic
• reverend
• pastor
• clerk
• prelate
• chaplain
• divine
• clergyperson
• dominie
• father
• pope
• priestess
• archbishop
• missionary
• monk
• diocesan
• churchman
• abbot
• rector
• dean
• deaconess
• religious
• vicar
• presbyter
• padre
• parson
• curé
• abbé
• monastic
• friar
• confessor
• monsignor
• shepherd
• evangelist
• Holy Joe
• curate
• missioner
• clergywoman
• mendicant
• archpriest
• revivalist
• sky pilot
• oblate
• high priestess
• high priest
• missionizer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• layman
• secular
• layperson
• lay reader
• lector

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of clerical

Adjective

In the public notice announcing the ship’s passengers, Joseph Shiers was transformed into Joseph Shires—perhaps a clerical error, perhaps a hint of his tendency toward reinvention. — Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

This swept away Iran’s monarchy and birthed a state that is part theocracy, part republic, with a handful of semi-democratic institutions swaddled by a system that is ultimately clerical. — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026

During Israel’s war with Iran, the clerical regime’s forces fired missiles into the Jordan Valley. — Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026

Support for the clerical leadership is paper thin, analysts say, and the new Supreme Leader, Khamenei's son Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in any new image since being wounded in the strike that killed his father. — Parisa Hafezi, USA Today, 3 July 2026