as in priests
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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clericals
Noun
-
In Colina, Chile, pilgrims on horseback took part in the Quasimodo Feast, a procession held the Sunday following Easter, accompanying priests giving communion to the poor.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026 -
As faith leaders continue to toe the line between politics and religious teachings, Wenski said that priests and other clergy do not need to shy away from politics, but should not show bias toward one political party over another.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Until then, smuggling weed had been a grand adventure, an escape from a society that had just thrown Prager’s generation into a meat grinder in Vietnam, a repudiation of the crooked politicians and backward preachers and greedy capitalists who were running the world.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
-
This type of apocalyptic thought has roots in the 19th century, when many American preachers turned toward more literal readings of the Bible.—
Shalom Goldman,
The Conversation,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Analysts and clerics are keen to stress the overall importance of this visit to the continent.—
Paul Tilsley,
FOXNews.com,
12 Apr. 2026
-
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.—
Brian Dakss,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Clericals.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clericals. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
