as in ecclesiastical
of or relating to a church
a council to make final determinations on ecclesiastic matters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
as the leading ecclesiastic for his church in the state, the bishop must be beyond reproach in everything he does
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 ecclesiastic
Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2025
Forbidden passion fueled the plot of The Thorn Birds in which the late Richard Chamberlain, played the priest Ralph de Bricassart, a heartthrob in ecclesiastic wear.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2025
America has no aristocracy or ecclesiastic master class.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 12 Feb. 2022
The Vatican defended the extension by saying the agreement was purely ecclesiastic and pastoral in nature, and not political.
—Nicole Winfield, Star Tribune, 22 Oct. 2020
The motif appeared in ecclesiastic architecture from the 13th to the 15th centuries.
—Jasper Bastian, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2020
The church is an example of early ecclesiastic architecture, is the second oldest synagogue remaining in Cincinnati and is the oldest still church still used for religious purposes.
—Max Londberg, Cincinnati.com, 5 Aug. 2019
But Thondup is also sharply critical of the Tibetan political and ecclesiastic elite for their gross mismanagement of their relations with China.
—Anne F. Thurston, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2016
Peter Brown, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020
This shop for ecclesiastics has an exquisite selection of high-quality pieces.
—Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2019
Rather, Ryrie, a prize-winning historian as well as an ecclesiastic, has broadened his scope to take in nearly 750 years of doubt and disbelief in the professedly Christian West.
—Graham Hillard, National Review, 5 Dec. 2019
The old cloister, as the walled domain of the Chapter of Canons was called, housed unusual and not invariably pious persons, as well as the worldly ecclesiastics themselves.
—Bruce Dale, National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019
This was the Fairy Tree L’Arbre des Dames or Le Beau Mai tree, whereupon extra-ecclesiastic celebrations were staged.
—C.d. Wright, Harper's magazine, 10 Jan. 2019
There are nearly 70 community leaders — from entrepreneurs to ecclesiastics (and a rabbi thrown in for good measure) — who have joined to address the problems that have held Louisville back for decades.
—Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal, 2 Feb. 2018
The end result was a new brand of ecclesiastics and lay Catholics who felt comfortable detaching themselves from Franco’s regime, or even fighting it head-on in a variety of forums, including student movements, intellectual circles, unions, political parties, and the media.
—Victor Pérez-Díaz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2013
Adjective
Think of it like an ecclesiastic LinkedIn.
—Jack Murtagh, Scientific American, 11 Oct. 2025
Forbidden passion fueled the plot of The Thorn Birds in which the late Richard Chamberlain, played the priest Ralph de Bricassart, a heartthrob in ecclesiastic wear.
—Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 2 Apr. 2025
America has no aristocracy or ecclesiastic master class.
—Brian T. Allen, National Review, 12 Feb. 2022
The Vatican defended the extension by saying the agreement was purely ecclesiastic and pastoral in nature, and not political.
—Nicole Winfield, Star Tribune, 22 Oct. 2020
The motif appeared in ecclesiastic architecture from the 13th to the 15th centuries.
—Jasper Bastian, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Sep. 2020
The church is an example of early ecclesiastic architecture, is the second oldest synagogue remaining in Cincinnati and is the oldest still church still used for religious purposes.
—Max Londberg, Cincinnati.com, 5 Aug. 2019
But Thondup is also sharply critical of the Tibetan political and ecclesiastic elite for their gross mismanagement of their relations with China.
—Anne F. Thurston, Foreign Affairs, 23 Feb. 2016
Noun
Of all the precious goods accumulated by the rulers and ecclesiastics of late medieval Ethiopia, the most charged of all were books.
—Peter Brown, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020
This shop for ecclesiastics has an exquisite selection of high-quality pieces.
—Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2019
Rather, Ryrie, a prize-winning historian as well as an ecclesiastic, has broadened his scope to take in nearly 750 years of doubt and disbelief in the professedly Christian West.
—Graham Hillard, National Review, 5 Dec. 2019
The old cloister, as the walled domain of the Chapter of Canons was called, housed unusual and not invariably pious persons, as well as the worldly ecclesiastics themselves.
—Bruce Dale, National Geographic, 17 Apr. 2019
This was the Fairy Tree L’Arbre des Dames or Le Beau Mai tree, whereupon extra-ecclesiastic celebrations were staged.
—C.d. Wright, Harper's magazine, 10 Jan. 2019
There are nearly 70 community leaders — from entrepreneurs to ecclesiastics (and a rabbi thrown in for good measure) — who have joined to address the problems that have held Louisville back for decades.
—Joseph Gerth, The Courier-Journal, 2 Feb. 2018
The end result was a new brand of ecclesiastics and lay Catholics who felt comfortable detaching themselves from Franco’s regime, or even fighting it head-on in a variety of forums, including student movements, intellectual circles, unions, political parties, and the media.
—Victor Pérez-Díaz, Foreign Affairs, 6 Dec. 2013
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ecclesiastic
Adjective
-
Rose Glass' directorial debut is an ecclesiastical horror that offsets the fine line between devotion and delusion, all while stirring the painful emotions of loneliness and trauma.—
Steven Thrash,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His remarks come after reports that priests and pastoral workers have been unable to bring communion to those detained.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN Money,
8 Nov. 2025
-
But Wolfgang Rothe — a priest and scholar of canon law — says this charge is often pitted at critics within the church.—
Esme Nicholson,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
This has given the conflict a religious coloration, and political elites have also chosen to politicize the conflict to negotiate power and other interests, which has complicated the problem.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Seyfried spoke to the real-life Ann Lee's experience losing all of her children at a young age, which influenced her religious views.—
Tommy McArdle,
PEOPLE,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This came after director Ryan Coogler had asked her to work on his supernatural thriller, where Caton plays the son of a preacher.—
Jazz Tangcay,
Variety,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Born in 1972, Heard, who identified as pansexual and polyamorous, served as a preacher prior to his career in adult content.—
Mikelle Street,
Them.,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
So Harald Schiffl now speaks on the clergyman's behalf.—
Esme Nicholson,
NPR,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Hopkins' performance is wide-ranging, swinging the pendulum from an eccentric clergyman to a man overcome by darkness.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The barely believable but entirely true story saw gay rights activists trick their way into the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster, London by dressing plainly and conservatively – one even went as far as dressing as nun, while another donned the garbs of a bishop.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
-
What to Know Maloyan was an Armenian bishop and martyr who was killed during the Ottoman genocide in 1915.—
Jenni Fink,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Ecclesiastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesiastic. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share