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 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 Seekers, meanwhile, runs to six parts and follows the human experience through the eyes of an Amazonian chief, an Advaita monk, an African healer, a Hindu sage, a Native grandmother and a Buddhist psychologist. — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026 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 See All Example Sentences for monk

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monk

Noun

Immediately below us, a bald-headed friar passes; a young woman greets him on her knees, raising her hands in supplication.

— Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2026
The hotel works with a local Franciscan friar from Ravello, Friar Marcus, to introduce interested guests to the chapel, or whisk them on tours of Ravello, his local parish (and the home of Villas Cimbrone and Rufolo).

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 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

Identifying an abbot Rodwell found the bones were still jumbled together inside the coffin, which was hewn from a single block of limestone and measured about 7 feet (2 meters) long, with walls about 4 inches (10 centimeters) thick on average.

— Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 2 Nov. 2026
Variations on this legend suggest that the monk had broken his monastic vows, that the creation of the book in a single night was a deal offered by the monastery’s abbot, and that the book was intended to glorify his monastery.

— Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of abbot

Noun

For the same reasons little dogs appeared so frequently at the feet of dead women (and clerics) in tomb sculpture, plenty of Renaissance portraits feature them as a symbol of fidelity.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2026
Attendance was mandatory, but a cleric with a loudspeaker tried to give the event a festive air.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of cleric

Noun

The preacher was Walter White, who led an Oregon City offshoot of the Followers of Christ, an Idaho sect that spurns medical treatment as a show of faith.

— Noelle Crombie, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2026
Growing up, the brothers spent much of their childhood traveling around the South with their father, a Pentecostal Church preacher, before eventually forming the band in Nashville in 1999, per American Songwriter.

— Samantha Stutsman, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2026

Definition of preacher

Noun

On the front lines during natural disasters Janinna Sesa, former director of Caritas Chiclayo, worked with the bishop for eight years, including during the pandemic, the flooding caused by the coastal El Niño in 2017, and Cyclone Yaku in 2023.

— Claudia Rebaza, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2026
His last stop is Peru, where Leo holds citizenship and spent two decades as a missionary and bishop.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Nov. 2026

Definition of bishop

Browse Nearby Words

monitory

monk

monkey

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“Monk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monk. Accessed 12 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of monk

noun

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