FRIAR Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

friar

noun

Definition of friar

as in monk

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of friar The storied residence was first commissioned in 1712 by Anna Gravina, Princess of Gravina and Valguarnera, and it's also attributed to Dominican friar and architect Tommaso Maria Napoli. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026 Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar and one of the pope’s key AI advisers, argued in December that human intelligence and dignity are unlike any sort of intelligence that could arise from digital minds. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 24 May 2026 Nearly 500 years before, a Franciscan friar arrived in what is now the state of Jalisco carrying a 13-inch icon of the Virgin Mary that had been molded by Indigenous craftsmen from a paste of corn pith and orchid bulbs. — Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026 As the first year of Leo’s historic pontificate comes to a close, the longtime missionary and Augustinian friar remains a stalwart champion of migrants, the poor and care for the environment, a trinity of issues at the core of his ministry. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for friar

Recent Examples of Synonyms for friar

Noun

Brazilian artist and former Carmelite monk Rodrigo Cassdied at 43 in a fatal accident yesterday on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, his gallery Fortes D’Aloia & Gabriel stated on social media.

— Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
The book in question is a copy of Mirror of the Blessed Life of Jesus Christ, a religious tract that was translated and adapted from Latin early in the 15th century by a monk named Nicholas Love.

— Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of monk

Noun

Throughout much of Buddhist history, and particularly in Theravada Buddhist contexts, mindfulness and its associated meditation methods have been the purview of mendicants (monks and nuns), who used mindfulness meditation to achieve trance states (jhana) leading to nirvana.

— Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
An internationally famous leader who lived a mendicant’s life.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026

Definition of mendicant

Noun

Costco ditches its Kirkland beer Pope Leo XIV, who grew up listening to popular American television preacher Archbishop Fulton Sheen, praised his fellow Illinois clergyman as an inspiration today on the eve of Sheen’s beatification.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
With bow and arrow in hand, Anghba finds his hunt for a wild boar across a riverbank interrupted by a raft floating downstream, as former tribespeople surround a jovial American preacher (Douglas Henshall), much to the chieftain’s chagrin.

— Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 20 Sep. 2026

Definition of preacher

Noun

The Bible’s message was seen as not only informative but salvific, and the monastic who memorized its words filled his or her soul with divine wisdom.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Historical questions remain, however, regarding whether such practices were primarily reserved for monastics or widely practiced among laypeople.

— Daniel M. Stuart, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026

Definition of monastic

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
Also figuring prominently in the proceedings is the cleric’s acolyte Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit), a fictional character representing the many women who took part in the movement.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of cleric

Noun

The abbot eventually suspended the monk from his clerical duties a few months ago and the pair’s relationship worsened, per the outlet.

— Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
The court found that Shi used his positions, including as the temple abbot, to illegally embezzle more than $19 million alone or in conspiracy with others, between 2003 and 2025, CCTV reported.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026

Definition of abbot

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friar

friaries

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“Friar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friar. Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of friar

noun

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