Synonyms of ecclesiastic

ecclesiastic 1 of 2

adjective

i-ˌklē-zē-ˈa-stik 

as in ecclesiastical

of or relating to a church

a council to make final determinations on ecclesiastic matters

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ecclesiastical
• religious
• papal
• ecclesial
• episcopal
• evangelical
• ministerial
• churchly
• apostolic
• sacramental
• divine
• clerical
• pastoral
• consecrated
• holy
• sacerdotal
• pontifical
• canonical
• priestly
• patriarchal
• sacrosanct
• sacred
• rabbinic
• sanctified
• blessed
• hallowed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• secular
• temporal
• lay
• profane
• nonchurch
• nonecclesiastical
• nonsectarian
• nondenominational
• nonclerical

ecclesiastic

2 of 2

noun

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

• priest
• preacher
• clerical
• clergyman
• bishop
• cleric
• minister
• deacon
• reverend
• pastor
• prelate
• divine
• chaplain
• dominie
• clergyperson
• clerk
• father
• pope
• archbishop
• churchman
• missionary
• priestess
• monk
• diocesan
• abbot
• vicar
• religious
• abbé
• curé
• presbyter
• rector
• padre
• parson
• friar
• monastic
• dean
• deaconess
• confessor
• monsignor
• evangelist
• curate
• shepherd
• missioner
• Holy Joe
• mendicant
• archpriest
• clergywoman
• revivalist
• oblate
• sky pilot
• high priestess
• high priest
• missionizer

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• layman
• secular
• layperson
• lay reader
• lector

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of ecclesiastic

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

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