ecclesiastic 1 of 2

ecclesiastic

2 of 2

noun

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
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
  • Her historic appointment—a first in the 1,400 years since Saint Augustine founded the diocese after landing in England—will fuel the long-running debate not only in the Anglican church, but also other Christian churches, about the ecclesiastical role of women.
    Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The man, named as 69-year-old Morimasa Hibino by the Japanese embassy, was spotted in the ditch next to the monument about seven meters (23 feet) below the street level by a priest who alerted authorities.
    Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
  • The paranormal investigators claim to have been summoned by a priest named Father Cooke when two young women — Donna and Angie — wanted to perform an exorcism to get rid of the spirit of a dead 7-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had inhabited their doll.
    Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • During their first reign from 1996-2001, the Taliban had outlawed all music besides non-instrumental religious chanting, enforcing the ban with brutal tactics that included a suicide bombing at an ANIM student concert.
    Vidushi Mishti Sharma, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Following religious conviction, pride in one's homeland and confidence in its future is the sentiment that very well might induce the most people to get married and have children.
    MSNBC Newsweek, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • At this point, Malcolm was no longer an up-and-coming preacher.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
  • Enter Caleb Samuel — a flashy, social media–famous preacher’s kid with three million followers, a fast car, and a complicated relationship with his megachurch dynasty.
    Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Meanwhile, cousin Edmund, an aspiring clergyman, falls under the charms of Mary Crawford, written by Austen as a charming but immoral woman.
    Emily Zarevich, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Blanc seeks to interview alongside another clergyman (O'Connor, 35).
    Tommy McArdle, People.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The city was a prominent bishop's seat during the Byzantine era.
    Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
  • The current practice is for the Vatican to simply announce when a bishop has resigned without elaborating.
    Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Ecclesiastic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesiastic. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.

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