as in priests
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of clerics
Iran’s top clerics are still working to choose a successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed by the US-Israel strikes on Saturday.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
In Iran, senior clerics responsible for selecting the next supreme leader are considering naming Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the top post, according to reports.
—Sawdah Bhaimiya,holly Ellyatt,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
Khomeini's inheritance One of the younger clerics watching all this was Ruhollah Khomeini.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
The message from Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli represented one of the few statements from Iran's powerful Islamic clerics since the war began.
—CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
This moment of turnover will be a generational shift, an opportunity for younger clerics to assert themselves as candidates to replace them.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Iranian clerics are close to announcing the new supreme leader, following the killing of Ali Khamenei, whose son is in the running to lead the country.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The republic has been ruled by clerics since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
She was nominated by a 17-member commission composed of clerics and lay people and her appointment was confirmed by King Charles III, who is the supreme governor of the church.
—Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 5 Mar. 2026
In Iran, senior clerics responsible for selecting the next supreme leader are considering naming Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to the top post, according to reports.
—Sawdah Bhaimiya,holly Ellyatt,chloe Taylor, CNBC, 5 Mar. 2026
Khomeini's inheritance One of the younger clerics watching all this was Ruhollah Khomeini.
—Bobby Ghosh, Time, 5 Mar. 2026
The message from Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi Amoli represented one of the few statements from Iran's powerful Islamic clerics since the war began.
—CBS News, 5 Mar. 2026
This moment of turnover will be a generational shift, an opportunity for younger clerics to assert themselves as candidates to replace them.
—Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2026
Iranian clerics are close to announcing the new supreme leader, following the killing of Ali Khamenei, whose son is in the running to lead the country.
—Tasneem Nashrulla, semafor.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The republic has been ruled by clerics since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
—Max Burman, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
She was nominated by a 17-member commission composed of clerics and lay people and her appointment was confirmed by King Charles III, who is the supreme governor of the church.
—Danica Kirka, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clerics
Noun
-
Ultimately, the pharaoh’s prescient spiritual optimism comes in conflict with the all-powerful establishment priests, who kill Akhnaten and Nefertiti.—
Classical Music Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
The report then stressed the need for the diocese to abandon the practice of requiring victims to take polygraph tests and to stop refusing to investigate third-party complaints about priests.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
His large band, squeezed onto a stage scarcely longer than two kayaks laid end to end, is composed almost entirely of Haitian preachers’ kids raised in the country’s gospel tradition.—
Emma Madden,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
-
In exchange for the preachers' supplying troops to stage boycotts, the businessmen would give the churches money.—
Gail Sheehy,
Vanity Fair,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clerics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clerics. Accessed 6 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
