deaconess

noun

Definition of deaconessnext
as in clergyman

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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 deaconess Then in 1964, Parks became a deaconess in the African Methodist Episcopal Church. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025 In her younger years, Webb was an avid churchgoer in Baltimore, Maryland alongside her father, a deacon, and her mother, a deaconess, who met in a church choir. — Robyn Mowatt, ELLE, 22 June 2023 Welcome to the Rehearsal Club, an artist residency and the one-year-old reincarnation of a nonprofit organization founded in 1913 by Jane Harriss Hall, an Episcopal deaconess, and Jean Greer, the daughter of New York’s Episcopal bishop. — Joanne Kaufman, New York Times, 27 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deaconess
  1. clergyman
  2. priestess
  3. deacon
  4. bishop
  5. presbyter
  6. dean
  7. clergywoman
  8. churchman
Noun
  • Some years ago, the State met me in behalf of the Church, and commanded me to pay a certain sum toward the support of a clergyman whose preaching my father attended, but never I myself.
    — René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • But the heart of this production is the dramatic soprano Christine Goerke, who plays a deceased clergyman known as the Reverend.
    — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of clergyman
Noun
  • Or would Azriel instead mate with Gwyn, the traumatized priestess turned badass Valkyrie warrior whose early experience of violence echoes Azriel’s own?
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The oracle was a priestess who entered a trance state to convey answers from Apollo, the Greek god of prophecy.
    — Ambuj Tewari, The Conversation, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of priestess
Noun
  • These female bishops, in turn, ordained more women as deacons, priests and bishops.
    — Jonathan Bullington, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The youngest, a middle-school basketball coach who’s thinking about becoming a deacon or pastor, isn’t sure.
    — Eric Lau, Washington Post, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of deacon
Noun
  • On the front lines during natural disasters Janinna Sesa, former director of Caritas Chiclayo, worked with the bishop for eight years, including during the pandemic, the flooding caused by the coastal El Niño in 2017, and Cyclone Yaku in 2023.
    — Claudia Rebaza, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026
  • His last stop is Peru, where Leo holds citizenship and spent two decades as a missionary and bishop.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of bishop
Noun
  • This would be the case also for an apostate, heretic, schismatic bishop, presbyter, or deacon.
    — Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
  • Before coming to Birmingham, Webster had served 18 years as executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in southern New Mexico.
    — Greg Garrison, AL.com, 19 July 2017
Definition of presbyter
Noun
  • Steven Freedman, associate dean of admissions at the University of Kansas School of Law, said the loans are important to help provide access to all students.
    — Heather Hollingsworth, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The strike has also been backed by labor unions, university deans, churches, artists, athletes, international media organizations and others.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of dean
Noun
  • Patterson, an ordained clergywoman with a background in healthcare, joined the Legislature via a special election in 2020.
    — oregonlive, oregonlive, 8 Nov. 2022
Definition of clergywoman
Noun
  • Just before the Devil drawing is a churchman’s confession of a lengthy list of sins.
    — Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, churchmen claimed the authority to restrain violence, encouraged just wars and threatened violent behaviors with spiritual sanctions.
    — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Definition of churchman

Browse Nearby Words

deacon
deaconess
deaconesses
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Cite this Entry

“Deaconess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deaconess. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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