PASTOR Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

pastor

noun

Definition of pastor

as in rector

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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 pastor Erin Patterson was convicted last year of deliberately lacing a beef wellington meal with death cap mushrooms to murder her children’s grandparents and the wife of the local pastor. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026 She’d been told that people outside her faith were evil, and yet her pastor’s wife had turned her away while these scientists were literally bending over to help her. — Felice J. Freyer, STAT, 19 Aug. 2026 Whelchel was married to former associate pastor Steven Cauble from 1988 to 2012. — James Mercadante, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026 Doug Pagitt, a pastor and executive director of Vote Common Good, an organization dedicated to Democratic outreach to Catholic and evangelical voters, echoed Warnock's comment. — Hannah Demissie, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pastor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastor

Noun

Pernkopf was a Nazi functionary who became dean of the medical faculty in 1938 and rector of the university in 1943.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
The Rectory As the name suggests, The Rectory was originally home to the rector of nearby All Saints’ Church and his 14 children.

— Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026

Definition of rector

Noun

Such details include McCartney’s bare feet and opposite stride and the other members’ attire (Lennon’s white supposedly represents a clergyman, Starr’s black a mourner, and Harrison’s denim a gravedigger).

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 July 2026
Robin, our hero, is the son of a country clergyman.

— John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026

Definition of clergyman

Noun

The couple were married by a female vicar, per the Daily Mail.

— Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
Nearly every murder is solved by the end of the episode, but despite the unusual twist of having the village vicar team up with the police, the real action comes from the relationships among the characters.

— Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026

Definition of vicar

Noun

This one stars Cox himself as a mysterious and formidable old man in an undertaker’s suit and parson’s hat who wanders into an Arizona border town in 1890 to gather the names of dead Mexican laborers.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
And what does the old man who sleeps by the fire know about the dead parson?

— Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026

Definition of parson

Noun

Meanwhile, churchmen claimed the authority to restrain violence, encouraged just wars and threatened violent behaviors with spiritual sanctions.

— Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Not all birth rituals depended on the intercession of a saint or the authority of a churchman.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

Definition of churchman

Noun

Many of the experiences are suitable for older children, from riding to learning how to look after sheep for the day, accompanied by a local shepherd.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
Town of Yorktown Supporters said the killing of the 12-year-old shepherd-husky mix struck a chord in their community.

— Naveen Dhaliwal, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of shepherd

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

The Mexican fan palm, supposedly brought here by the mission-building padres to supply Palm Sunday foliage, can grow taller, maybe 10 stories, and skinnier, and can dip and sway camera-readily in the wind.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
The group has since evolved to the comité de padres and grown to roughly 30 mothers.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024

Definition of padre

Browse Nearby Words

past masters

pastor

pastoral

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“Pastor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastor. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of pastor

noun

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