PASTOR Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

pastor

noun

Definition of pastor

as in rector

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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 pastor On Tuesday, Baptist pastor Vladyslav Makhovskyi had joined the search for survivors in the wreckage of the school and underground shelter where villagers from Komyshuvakha had sought safety. — ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026 Democrat Frederick Douglas Haynes III, a longtime Dallas pastor and civil rights advocate, has defeated Republican Everett Jackson in the race for Texas' 30th Congressional District, CBS News projects. — Briauna Brown, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026 On Tuesday, Baptist pastor Vladyslav Makhovskyi joined the search for survivors. — Susie Blann, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026 Moore, a pastor and former PG&E manager, previously served as foreperson of the Placer County grand jury. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pastor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastor

Noun

Following his passing, those who knew Mateucci have expressed their deep sadness at the accident and spoken highly of the late rector.

— Katherine McLaughlin, Architectural Digest, 22 Oct. 2026
The Scottsdale Police Department has identified the deceased as Brazilian national Rogério Renato Mateucci, rector of the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, who had traveled to the US for an event at Arizona State University.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of rector

Noun

Without the charismatic clergyman, what kind of unruly Black-underclass anger would take the stage?

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
When Yakovlev mentioned the clergyman who attended the death-bed, Adelaide expressed surprise that John had asked to see a pastor.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Oct. 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

Just before the Devil drawing is a churchman’s confession of a lengthy list of sins.

— Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of churchman

Noun

The pair also co-starred in the beloved mystery dramedy The Sheep Detectives (2026), with Jackman playing shepherd George Hardy and Stewart voicing a sheep named Sir Ritchfield.

— Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 30 Oct. 2026
Shelter records show the German shepherd was transferred to a shelter in Irvine.

— Alene Tchekmedyian, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of shepherd

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 6 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of pastor

noun

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