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 The first Spanish expedition to California in 1542 was followed about 220 years later when Gaspar de Portolá and Franciscan monk Junipero Serra traversed the coastal lands. — Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026 In the 18th century, an Italian monk, Father Antonio Piaggio, invented a device to gently unroll the carbonized papyrus. — Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 26 June 2026 The cordovan line revisited the brand’s shoemaking heritage with models that included derby shoes, loafers, monk straps and Chelsea boots. — Andrea Onate, Footwear News, 21 June 2026 Deep beneath the monastery lie the ancient caves that gave the Lavra its name, where generations of monks are buried. — Andy J. Semotiuk, Forbes.com, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for monk

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monk

Noun

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

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 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
According to a relative of Nathan who provided some of the sources Amit studied, the abbot reportedly also wrote letters to the Vatican and to monasteries in Switzerland pleading for a safe exit for Wolfgang.

— Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 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

Top officials appear as the crowd size swells Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shiite cleric, led the prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla mosque for the late Khamenei and family members killed in the strike.

— Nasser Karimi, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
Ayatollah Jafar Sobhani, a 97-year-old Shiite cleric, led the prayers at Tehran’s Grand Mosalla for the late Khamenei his family members killed in the strike.

— Nasser Karimi, Fortune, 5 July 2026

Definition of cleric

Noun

The dynamic duo of Jonda Valentine, an artist and daughter of a Pentecostal preacher, and her longtime friend Christa Suppan, who started as a bartender when Lipstick first opened, share co-ownership of the two bars.

— Kat Chen, Condé Nast Traveler, 3 July 2026
The street preacher asks if someone could be cited if a transgender person is offended if they are misgendered by another person.

— Emily Holshouser July 2, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 July 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

Noun

Among the residential buildings were the home of a deacon named Tisous and another that researchers think may have originally been a house church before the construction of the basilica.

— Anne Doran for ARTnews, Robb Report, 7 July 2026
Among the residential buildings were the home of a deacon named Tisous and another that researchers think may have originally been a house church before the construction of the basilica.

— Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 6 July 2026

Definition of deacon

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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 15 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of monk

noun

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