deaconesses

noun

plural of deaconess
as in priestesses

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for deaconesses
  1. deacons
  2. priests
  3. preachers
  4. deans
  5. popes
  6. pastors
Noun
  • Corle, 59, is one of the church deacons and works at nearby Eielson Air Force Base.
    — Jan Thacker, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Church deacons want it to be called Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, its previous name.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of deacons
Noun
  • There haven’t been any female popes, cardinals, archbishops or priests.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026
  • So it was left to her to become one of the 15% of Shinto priests who are female.
    — Pico Iyer, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of priests
Noun
  • People of faith often embraced his work, and preachers sometimes cited it in sermons.
    — Courier Journal staff, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Politicians and preachers denounced them for blasphemy, perversion, and their loud support for civil rights.
    — Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of preachers
Noun
  • Each academic school hosts their own ceremony, with students attending various departments — plus deans and senior leadership — all clad in their cardinal and gold regalia, marching behind their banners across the campus.
    — Staff report, Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Continue reading … 'THIS IS RIDICULOUS' — Med school deans come up empty in tense hearing when asked point blank if men can have babies.
    — , FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of deans
Noun
  • Past presidents have met with popes and taken their criticisms on the chin, so to speak, but never has a president excoriated a pope in a public manner.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of popes
Noun
  • Churchgoers mourn beloved pastors People passing by the Pentecostal City Mission Church were overcome with emotion Friday after learning the horrific details of the crash that killed their beloved bishop and assistant pastor.
    — Mark Prussin, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
  • By visiting with the sick and shut-in, helping the bereaved, ministering to the incarcerated, always being willing to open the doors of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church to more people, teaching theology to other pastors and more, Thornhill was a pastor.
    — Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of pastors
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.

Browse Nearby Words

deaconess
deaconesses
deacons
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Deaconesses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deaconesses. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gist

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

A List of Most Commonly Confused Words

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 4
See More

Popular

See More

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

The Longest Long Words List

Stay Woke
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All