nuns

noun

plural of nun
as in monks

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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 nuns One of the nuns was allegedly killed by a demon appearing as a nun, and the other died by suicide to avoid being possessed by the evil force. — Julie Tremaine, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025 At some point, a pair of politically active nuns started hanging out at the Nash home, eventually leaving their formal nun habits, cast off as part of their activism, at the house. — Peter Larsen, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for nuns
  1. monks
  2. religious
  3. novices
  4. sisters
  5. Reverend Mother
  6. mother superior
  7. clerics
  8. mendicants
Noun
  • 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
Definition of monks
Noun
  • As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras.
    — Laura Rodríguez Presa, chicagotribune.com, 11 Sep. 2020
Definition of religious
Noun
  • Knowledgeable bartenders guide novices and obsessives alike, making an overwhelming list feel approachable rather than intimidating.
    — USA TODAY NETWORK, USA Today, 29 July 2026
  • Some are tennis novices while others, like Foon, are coming off a long pause.
    — Lynda Lin Grigsby, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026
Definition of novices
Noun
  • Our relationships with men as wives, sisters, daughters, is complicated.
    — Brent Lang, Variety, 21 July 2026
  • Survivors include his daughter, Kami; his son, Matt; his grandsons, Chase and Wyatt; and his sisters, Carole and Colleen.
    — Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
Definition of sisters
Noun
  • What a theft of life and talent, and what a waste of care, quick-wittedness, and capability by Reverend Mother Constance.
    — Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2025
  • Wiest will play the Reverend Mother Constance Mary Cabot, who is responsible for keeping her convent running and keeping the sisters safe in episode 7.
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of Reverend Mother
Noun
  • Wind your way through halls reminiscent of cloisters to dine with mountainous river views, sip cocktails in the bar that was once the office of the Mother Superior, or relax with a massage at the on-site spa.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 May 2026
  • Last year, Watson nabbed the Berlin Silver Bear best supporting performance award for her captivating portrayal of the formidable Mother Superior of the Magdalene Laundries in Tim Mielants’ Small Things Like These.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 25 Nov. 2025
Definition of mother superior
Noun
  • Revolutionary Guard members and clerics mourn on the esplanade of the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque.
    — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 3 July 2026
  • Funeral ceremonies are expected to begin in Tehran and move to Qom, a stronghold of many senior Shiite clerics, then to Mashhad, Khamenei's birthplace.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 June 2026
Definition of clerics
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

Browse Nearby Words

nunnery
nuns
nuptial
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Cite this Entry

“Nuns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/nuns. Accessed 2 Aug. 2026.

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