MONK Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

monk

noun

Definition of monk

as in friar

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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 monk Users who have downloaded his app include a strip club owner, a Buddhist monk and parents. — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026 During his stay, he was introduced to a monk named Brother Christian. — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026 Apps such as Headspace, Calm and Plum Village – inspired by the Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh – are helping people build a steady practice, reduce stress and improve sleep. — Ronald S. Green, The Conversation, 16 July 2026 Ryushin, the Buddhist monk at the center of Crows Are White was keeping his identity private until completing his monastic training. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 9 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for monk

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monk

Noun

The film, which is playing Out of Competition on the Lido, charts the brutality of Spanish friar Padre Enciso over the population in the 17th century.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 20 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of friar

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

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

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

Iran's Assembly of Experts, a group of 88 clerics, picked the mid-ranking cleric with influence in the country's security forces and business networks to succeed his father, announcing the decision March 8.

— Zac Anderson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
The story begins in 1810, when Johann Wilhelm Ebel, a young cleric who had studied at the University of Königsberg, returned to the city as a teacher and preacher.

— Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of cleric

Noun

In the movie, a local brothel — the Devil’s Playhouse — becomes the target of a TV preacher, forcing the town’s sheriff, who happens to be a frequent customer, to save it.

— Raechal Shewfelt, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Aug. 2026
The son of a former preacher, the South Carolina native grew up around music.

— Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of preacher

Noun

Man of books and learning Several of the videos show Athanasius of Alexandria, a fourth-century bishop and theologian traditionally considered one of the church fathers.

— Denva Gallant, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
Juan José Gerardi Conedera (born December 27, 1922, Guatemala City, Guatemala—killed April 26, 1998, Guatemala City) was a Guatemalan Roman Catholic bishop and human rights activist.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

Definition of bishop

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monitory

monk

monkey

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“Monk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monk. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of monk

noun

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