friar

noun

Definition of friarnext
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 Another work, a small double-sided panel portraying the Virgin Mary and Child with a Franciscan friar in adoration on one side and the dead Christ in Pietà on the other, was also stolen. — Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 17 Aug. 2026 Fra Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, who was a medieval Italian Franciscan friar and explorer in 1244 went to Mongolia [as a papal ambassador]. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 13 June 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for friar
Recent Examples of Synonyms for friar
  1. monk
  2. mendicant
  3. preacher
  4. monastic
  5. reverend
  6. cleric
  7. abbot
  8. bishop
Noun
  • Meanwhile, one monk intones that more offerings will bring the family greater blessing and peace.
    — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
  • What draws Béatrice’s attention is a fantastical claim made by a Benedictine monk in an Italian magazine article from the 1970s.
    — Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 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
  • And yet another member, Cody Smith, said his grandfather was preacher of the church for more than 40 years.
    — Laura Bauer, Kansas City Star, 14 Oct. 2026
  • This brings to mind a song from yesteryear about the preacher and the bear.
    — Alfred H. Moses, Baltimore Sun, 13 Oct. 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
  • But my little Outlander sweeties, this is not just any reverend, this is Reverend Wakefield.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2026
  • However, a reverend in Zambia — Billiance Chondwe — says he's noticed a change.
    — Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 18 June 2026
Definition of reverend
Noun
  • The lawmaker, Hamid Rasaei, a cleric who has regularly lashed out at Iran’s negotiating team, is a member of the ultra-hard-line political party Paydari.
    — Farnaz Fassihi, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of cleric
Noun
  • The men were also ordered to return more than 300 million baht (about $9 million) to the hospice at Wat Phra Bat Namphu temple in the central province of Lopburi, where Alongkot had served as abbot.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
  • 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
Definition of abbot
Noun
  • On April 18, 1049, the pope exempted a nunnery in Alsace – now in Sainte-Croix-en-Plaine, France – from the legal authority and supervision of the local bishop.
    — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Warren Jeffs then appointed Nephi Jeffs, another brother, as bishop.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of bishop

Browse Nearby Words

friable
friar
friaries
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Cite this Entry

“Friar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friar. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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