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
  • The seeds are then planted in California, where Eddie Anderson, a clergyman, political organizer and the founder of Freedom Farms Collective, helps oversee their growth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026
  • Costco ditches its Kirkland beer Pope Leo XIV, who grew up listening to popular American television preacher Archbishop Fulton Sheen, praised his fellow Illinois clergyman as an inspiration today on the eve of Sheen’s beatification.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of clergyman
Noun
  • 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
  • The episode explores the story of Madame LaLaurie (Kathy Bates), her cruel actions, and what voodoo priestess Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) did to her.
    — Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of priestess
Noun
  • Paden’s great-aunt, Dixie Wilson, talked of her great-nephew’s service as a junior deacon at the local New Market Christian Church.
    — Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
  • His mother, Karen, sang in the choir, and his father, Andrew, was a deacon.
    — Jason Parham, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2026
Definition of deacon
Noun
  • Warren Jeffs then appointed Nephi Jeffs, another brother, as bishop.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The former Robert Prevost was bishop of Chiclayo from 2014-2023, when Francis brought him to the Vatican to head the office for bishops.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 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
  • He was nominated for the award by his supervisor at Moraine Valley, Terra Jacobson, dean of Learning Resources, who also teaches a graduate class at Dominican, along with colleagues Marie Martino and Jayne Killackey.
    — Melinda Moore, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Guzman, a former law school dean who became provost in 2023, faced similar tests over protests and free speech.
    — Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 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
  • 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
  • Not all birth rituals depended on the intercession of a saint or the authority of a churchman.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of churchman

Browse Nearby Words

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deaconess
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Cite this Entry

“Deaconess.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deaconess. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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