DEACON Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

deacon

noun

ˈdē-kən

Definition of deacon

as in priest

a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church my cousin was married by his uncle, who is also a deacon in his church

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 deacon The Archdiocese of Baltimore released a statement confirming that Goedeke served as a Catholic Church deacon and former Catholic school teacher. — Bryan Lynn, CBS News, 6 Aug. 2026 Among the residential buildings were the home of a deacon named Tisous and another that researchers think may have originally been a house church before the construction of the basilica. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026 Among them were the house of Tisous, identified as a church deacon and dating to the second half of the fourth century, which archaeologists believe served as a house church before the construction of the city’s basilica. — ABC News, 4 July 2026 Eddie, a mechanic, was also a deacon at the church, an usher and a member of the choir, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. — Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for deacon

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deacon

Noun

After shooting Lino in the foot, the stranger reveals himself as Father Joe (Kiefer Sutherland), an actual priest who takes on Manhattan’s drug dealers wearing his work clothes.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 6 Sep. 2026
Helping people was the reason Judge had become a priest many years earlier.

— René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of priest

Noun

Anton offers him protection, money and a possible escape from Stonemore, while an enigmatic local preacher (played by Kirby), presents him with a very different path.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 10 Sep. 2026
Soon, the vast stadium was packed — not with rugby fans or concertgoers, but with thousands who came to pray with an African preacher.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of preacher

Noun

Seven top clergypersons of the Armenian Apostolic Church, including the church head, Karekin II, have been charged with crimes related to the church’s refusal to restore a mutinous bishop.

— Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor, 15 Sep. 2026
Among the mourners and dozens of clergy at Trinity Cathedral in midtown Sacramento on Thursday was a man who met Jerry Lamb just once but whose life the late bishop touched.

— Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of bishop

Noun

Alongside Garfield’s Ploughman is Cosmo Jarvis as the true historical figure Wat Tyler, Jamie Bell as clergyman John Ball and Thomasin McKenzie as fellow rebel Alyce.

— Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2026
Such details include McCartney’s bare feet and opposite stride and the other members’ attire (Lennon’s white supposedly represents a clergyman, Starr’s black a mourner, and Harrison’s denim a gravedigger).

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 July 2026

Definition of clergyman

Noun

Nigerian pastor William Kumuyi, whose Global Crusades have taken his ministry to countries across several continents, sees those qualities as a wider feature of African Christianity.

— Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
Last October, 18 members of the Zion Church in China, including its founder, pastor Ezra Jin, were arrested in one of China’s largest crackdowns on a single church in decades.

— Kanis Leung, Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of pastor

Browse Nearby Words

dazzlingly

deacon

deaconess

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Deacon.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deacon. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of deacon

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on deacon

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

watershed

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18

Popular

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes