as in ecclesiastic
of or relating to a church
ecclesiastical laws that have been in existence for centuries
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Recent Examples of ecclesiastical
Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms.
—
Arkansas Online, 5 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
Pretty quickly, this pay-to-pray arrangement gave way to a less ecclesiastical approach.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The Rooms Laid out over three floors—each with soaring, ecclesiastical cross-vault ceilings—rooms are spacious and chic, each with a varying but superb vistas.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ecclesiastical
Arkansas Online, 5 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
Pretty quickly, this pay-to-pray arrangement gave way to a less ecclesiastical approach.
—D. T. Max, New Yorker, 15 Sep. 2025
The Rooms Laid out over three floors—each with soaring, ecclesiastical cross-vault ceilings—rooms are spacious and chic, each with a varying but superb vistas.
—Nicole Trilivas, Travel + Leisure, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for ecclesiastical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ecclesiastical
Adjective
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Think of it like an ecclesiastic LinkedIn.—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
11 Oct. 2025
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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
Adjective
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Some religious communities bar menstruating women from common living areas, said Ahsan.—
Sana Noor Haq,
CNN Money,
11 Feb. 2026
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The measure would allow some exemptions, including for officers involved in undercover operations and SWAT duties or who are wearing religious garb.—
Elliott Wenzler,
Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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As a result, the consecration of bishops without papal consent is considered a grave threat to church unity and a cause of schism, since bishops can ordain new priests.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
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March 13, 2013, when then-Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio broke with the church tradition of taking a name in honor of a papal predecessor.—
Vanessa Corcoran,
The Conversation,
2 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Ecclesiastical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesiastical. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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