1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

mendicant 1 of 2

noun

ˈmen-di-kənt How to pronounce mendicant (audio)
Definition of mendicantnext
as in beggar
a person who lives by public begging those wretched mendicants on the streets of Calcutta

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

mendicant

2 of 2

adjective

as in monastic

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 mendicant
Noun
His eyes alternated between the mendicant and Bob. — Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025 Guido eventually became a Dominican friar, dedicating himself to making art within the mendicant order; after his death, in 1455, he became known as Fra Angelico, or the Angelic Friar. — Louise Bokkenheuser, Air Mail, 4 Oct. 2025
Adjective
One was that literary journalism anthology the mendicant had flipped through. — Literary Hub, 21 Nov. 2025 The first mendicant orders, like the Franciscans and Dominicans, received papal approval in the early 13th century. — Joanne M. Pierce, The Conversation, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for mendicant
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mendicant
  1. beggar
  2. monastic
  3. conventual
  4. religious
  5. divine
  6. sacramental
Noun
  • Dhaka’s rundown streets peppered with the homeless, vendors and child beggars.
    — Miriam Balanescu, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Robert Pattinson’s big outburst in Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey,’ has gone viral—here’s the ‘beggars’ meme, explained.
    — Dani Di Placido, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026
Definition of beggar
Adjective
  • But the units are monastic, at least by the standards of Nashville upperclassmen, who usually live in singles or in apartments off campus.
    — Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 26 Aug. 2026
  • When the Dark Ages descended on the ancient world, Benedict of Nursia ignited a monastic revival that would establish thousands of monasteries and train generations of devoted readers.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of monastic
Adjective
  • Martin entered the Conventual Franciscan Friars Novitiate in Ellicott City at age 17 after graduating from Curley.
    — Jonathan M. Pitts, Baltimore Sun, 9 Apr. 2024
  • But degraded conventual forces could drive Putin to other means of exerting force.
    — Matt Seyler, ABC News, 10 May 2022
Definition of conventual
Adjective
  • Netanyahu’s government, the most ultranationalist and religious in Israel’s history, has presided over a surge of settlement construction in the West Bank.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Netanyahu’s government is the most ultranationalist and religious in Israel’s history.
    — Ibrahim Hazboun, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of religious
Adjective
  • The ingredients that turn a flop into a cult classic are difficult to divine.
    — Lila Shapiro, Vulture, 11 Sep. 2026
  • This understanding reveals that our substance is not material – that, in fact, matter has nothing to do with our substance, which is entirely spiritual, as the expression of divine Spirit.
    — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of divine
Adjective
  • More than a century ago, French Catholic missionaries introduced winemaking to northern Yunnan, producing vines for sacramental wine and leaving behind a legacy that blends European techniques with local Tibetan culture.
    — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026
  • The sacramental palms can be kept at home and returned to church or nature, but should not to be thrown away, the Archdiocese noted.
    — Jenna Prestininzi, Freep.com, 23 Mar. 2026
Definition of sacramental

Browse Nearby Words

menders
mendicant
mendicants
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Mendicant.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mendicant. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on mendicant

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about mendicant

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All