MONKS Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

monks

noun

plural of monk

as in friars

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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 monks Two monks sustained serious injuries, and one monk lost part of his leg as a result of the crash. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monks

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
But those states also have Republican governors, who would have raised holy hell if their constituents had been menaced by these roving mobs of mendicants.

— Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Nov. 2025

Definition of mendicants

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
Oddly enough, Iran and Afghanistan, both ruled by clerics, are the only countries in the world that still regularly stage public executions.

— Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of clerics

Noun

Followers at the time were led by a constellation of preachers and elders, all men.

— Noelle Crombie, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2026
But DeFalco is drawn to the sidewalk dwellers, street preachers and parking-lot boozers who also lurk down there and help (or hinder) Ten, usually at a loud volume.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026