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
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Back then, Kennedy was constantly fending off accusations from Protestant ecclesiastic types who were wary that his nomination meant the pontiff, John XXIII, was already packing his bags for a move into the White House.
—
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Waugh was based for many years in a grand house in nearby Combe Florey and adapted this local ecclesiastic landmark for fictional purposes.
—
Literary Hub,
12 Feb. 2026
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
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
This will be followed by a final period in Florence to learn the technique and historical evolution of egg tempera, to acquire ancient handweaving skills and expand her knowledge of its applications in the ecclesiastic context.
—
Sandra Salibian,
Footwear News,
7 May 2026
Back then, Kennedy was constantly fending off accusations from Protestant ecclesiastic types who were wary that his nomination meant the pontiff, John XXIII, was already packing his bags for a move into the White House.
—
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
Waugh was based for many years in a grand house in nearby Combe Florey and adapted this local ecclesiastic landmark for fictional purposes.
—
Literary Hub,
12 Feb. 2026
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
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
-
In his decision, Chief District Chief Judge Amos Mazzant ruled that a First Amendment protection for churches, known as the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, applied to Gateway.
-
Judge Amos Mazzant in the Eastern District of Texas ruled a First Amendment protection for churches, the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, applied to Gateway.
Noun
-
Watching from the crowd was Father Taras Naumenko, a Ukrainian Orthodox priest, one of Tryzub's team chaplains and a passionate soccer goalie.
-
Morelia is named after José María Morelos, a revolutionary priest and key leader of the Mexican War of Independence.
Adjective
-
Americans are more likely than not to favor religious expression in public schools, though most agree participation should be voluntary, a national survey has found.
-
That they are entitled to not wear the uniforms, that they’re entitled to express their religious beliefs.
Noun
-
The librarian, in turn, accused the preacher of book theft.
-
Son of a Preacherman, Choi's latest work, is an autobiographical look at the writer's upbringing in a family of preachers.
Noun
-
Robin, our hero, is the son of a country clergyman.
-
The trio of vicars starts with James Norton as Sidney Chambers, the doe-eyed clergyman with a taste for cool jazz and clever women.
Noun
-
An artist and performer, Skrepetsky gained notice with his cutting portraits of Russian president Vladimir Putin, Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and a conservative Moscow bishop, Patriarch Kirill.
-
The bishop was among 34 individuals and 47 entities that EU countries added to a Russia sanctions list Monday.
Cite this Entry
“Ecclesiastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesiastic. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
