ecclesiastics

noun

plural of ecclesiastic
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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for ecclesiastics
  1. priests
  2. preachers
  3. clerics
Noun
  • The Vatican has long looked the other way when priests were accused of abuse involving adults, especially if the priests were bishops.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • There were a lot of nuns and priests, and people crossing themselves and crying.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of priests
Noun
  • In the halcyon days of the televangelists, when Jim Bakker stood shoulder to shoulder with fire and brimstone preachers such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Jimmy Swaggart, the collection plate always seemed bottomless.
    — Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • People of faith often embraced his work, and preachers sometimes cited it in sermons.
    — Courier Journal staff, Louisville Courier Journal, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of preachers
Noun
  • Yes, those of us who are both excited and nervous about the promise of AI welcome the prospect of kings and clerics and populist politicians alike standing up to the tech lords — who, frankly, could use some perspectives other than their own.
    — Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
  • In Iraq, the faction earned rebukes from clerics who had previously supported global jihad as well as from more mainstream religious leaders.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of clerics
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.

Browse Nearby Words

ecclesiastical
ecclesiastics
echelon
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Cite this Entry

“Ecclesiastics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesiastics. Accessed 11 Oct. 2026.

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