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
-
Last week, a video surfaced of an ICE officer who shot a member of the clergy with a pepper ball who had been outside a processing facility just outside Chicago.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025 -
The group combed through publicly available records to map out a network that captured the personal and professional relationships among the College of Cardinals (the senior clergy members who serve as both voters and candidates for the papacy).—
Jack Murtagh,
Scientific American,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Growing up in church, his musical talent was discovered early.—
Lisa Respers France,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Kate — who is known for recycling outfits, often years apart — debuted the piece during a January 2020 visit to Bradford Town Hall before reusing the coat at the royal family's Christmas church outing in 2022.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
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 21 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share