as in priests
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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ecclesiastics
Noun
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The group, formed in 1970 to oppose Vatican II modernizations, has quietly become a parallel church operating globally with 733 priests, 264 seminarians and 50 nationalities despite decades of schism.—
Nicole Winfield,
Los Angeles Times,
13 May 2026 -
Leo met Thursday with German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who — despite Fernández's letter — recently recommended that priests in his archdiocese use the German guidelines as a basis for their pastoral care.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 May 2026
Noun
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Badenoch has called for stronger enforcement, including deporting foreign preachers who are spreading hate in mosques and other institutions.—
Ariella Noveck,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
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Dollison was a regular contributor to the Church of Christ publication The Living Message, which credited him as being a major inspiration for many influential Arkansas Church of Christ preachers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The lawsuit echoes criticism that most commissioners are conservative Christian clerics and commentators; one is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
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The group’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, who died in 2021, was one of the country’s most radical clerics.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Ecclesiastics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesiastics. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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