Synonyms of clerics

clerics

noun

plural of cleric

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

• priests
• preachers
• clergymen
• bishops
• clericals
• ministers
• pastors
• deacons
• ecclesiastics
• reverends
• prelates
• divines
• chaplains
• fathers
• clerks
• priestesses
• monks
• popes
• clergypersons
• churchmen
• archbishops
• missionaries
• abbots
• dominies
• vicars
• rectors
• padres
• deans
• presbyters
• friars
• deaconesses
• clergywomen
• confessors
• religious
• evangelists
• diocesans
• shepherds
• parsons
• curés
• mendicants
• archpriests
• missioners
• curates
• monastics
• revivalists
• monsignors
• abbés
• Holy Joes
• oblates
• sky pilots
• high priests
• missionizers
• high priestesses

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• laymen
• laypeople
• seculars
• lay readers
• lectors

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of clerics

For the same reasons little dogs appeared so frequently at the feet of dead women (and clerics) in tomb sculpture, plenty of Renaissance portraits feature them as a symbol of fidelity. — Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026

Oddly enough, Iran and Afghanistan, both ruled by clerics, are the only countries in the world that still regularly stage public executions. — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

Yes, those of us who are both excited and nervous about the promise of AI welcome the prospect of kings and clerics and populist politicians alike standing up to the tech lords — who, frankly, could use some perspectives other than their own. — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026

In Iraq, the faction earned rebukes from clerics who had previously supported global jihad as well as from more mainstream religious leaders. — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026

After six months of war, Iran’s leadership has coalesced around a hard core of military generals and clerics long entrenched in the ruling theocracy. — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026

Iran's Assembly of Experts, a group of 88 clerics, picked the mid-ranking cleric with influence in the country's security forces and business networks to succeed his father, announcing the decision March 8. — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026

But both Australian clerics successfully appealed their convictions. — ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

The church refused, and Armenia's Prosecutor General's office launched the case against Karekin and the other clerics in February, accusing them of defying a court order and barring them from leaving the country. — Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026