Definition of clerisynext
as in intelligentsia
intellectuals considered as a social class a society lacking a well-established clerisy with a strong commitment to democratic ideals

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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 clerisy They are ruled by a grizzled and sclerotic clerisy that funnels resources to its private army, the terrorist Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Matthew Continetti, National Review, 24 Sep. 2022 Democrats and the public-health clerisy denounced President Trump for rushing Covid vaccines. Allysia Finley, WSJ, 4 Sep. 2022 Only those the board licenses are admitted to the clerisy uniquely entitled to publicly discuss engineering. George Will, Twin Cities, 13 June 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clerisy
Noun
  • Until recently, Liu was a noisy member of the Chinese intelligentsia, with little influence in politics.
    Chang Che, New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2026
  • Like most of the foreign intelligentsia, such as Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, and the New York Times correspondent Herbert Matthews, all of whom had come to Madrid to cover the war, Martha arrived in Spain a passionate partisan.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Then there was an urban-rural divide, the urban elite versus the rural majority in the country.
    John Shattuck, The Conversation, 27 Mar. 2026
  • San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, a darling of the Silicon Valley tech elite, polled at 3%.
    Bloomberg, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Clerisy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clerisy. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.

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