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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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
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
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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
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The project occasioned a lift in vibe: Björk had spent the years prior serving with the Reykjavík intelligentsia in her old band the Sugarcubes, an accidentally successful cadre of anarchist poets convinced of their solemn duty to demystify stardom.—
Jazz Monroe,
Pitchfork,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The shooting-range event came after the conclusion of a congress of the Korean Workers’ Party, a largely rubber-stamp political gathering of the nation’s elite, where Kim’s leadership was reaffirmed by unanimous vote.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
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Those myths were conveyed through performance, sung in the great halls of the elite, recited at festivals all across the ancient world, staged at the theatre to large audiences, and displayed on wall paintings, mosaics, vases, and sculptures that adorned both sacred sanctuaries and city-states.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clerisy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clerisy. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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