as in clergy
the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church
a nation in which the first estate had long held a privileged position
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for first estate
Noun
-
The service was held at the same church where Bartholomew's grandfather once served as a member of the clergy.—
Sara Tenenbaum,
CBS News,
8 May 2026 -
The man in 1963 who became the spokesman of the ultra right in the Iranian clergy was Ruhollah Khomeini.—
Fiction Non Fiction,
Literary Hub,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The original church is no longer standing, but archaeologists have teamed with members of the current congregation to ensure their history is properly preserved.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
13 May 2026
-
PragueReuters — An unknown thief snatched an 800-year-old skull believed to be of Saint Zdislava of Lemberk from a display box in a church in the northern Czech Republic and ran away with the relic, police said on Wednesday.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“First estate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/first%20estate. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
