PRESBYTER Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

presbyter

noun

Definition of presbyter

as in bishop

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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 presbyter This would be the case also for an apostate, heretic, schismatic bishop, presbyter, or deacon. — Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021 Before coming to Birmingham, Webster had served 18 years as executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in southern New Mexico. — Greg Garrison, AL.com, 19 July 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for presbyter

Noun

Warren Jeffs then appointed Nephi Jeffs, another brother, as bishop.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026
The former Robert Prevost was bishop of Chiclayo from 2014-2023, when Francis brought him to the Vatican to head the office for bishops.

— ABC News, ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of bishop

Noun

The group was founded in 1970 in Switzerland by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a French prelate, but five years later was officially suppressed by the Bishop of Fribourg.

— Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
In roughly 33 hours over the course of two days, the diverse group of international prelates elected Prevost on the fourth ballot.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026

Definition of prelate

Noun

The abbot eventually suspended the monk from his clerical duties a few months ago and the pair’s relationship worsened, per the outlet.

— Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of abbot

Noun

After Sheen's time in the Archdiocese of New York, he was appointed Bishop of Rochester in 1966 and then was named an archbishop in 1969.

— Aleja Hertzler-McCain, NPR, 23 Sep. 2026
Cardinal Blase Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, along with two orders of nuns, the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm and the Little Sisters of the Poor, filed a lawsuit last week to block Illinois’ assisted suicide law.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of archbishop

Noun

Jean Wactawski-Wende, PhD, dean of the University of Buffalo’s School of Public Health and an epidemiologist who researches what influences women’s health and led the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) steering committee.

— Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 17 Sep. 2026
Political analyst Abraham Kuol Nyuon, dean of the University of Juba graduate college, said the leadership change could further complicate preparations, including voter registration.

— ABC News, ABC News, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

In addition to serving as New Jersey’s lieutenant governor, Caldwell is a pastor at the Covenant United Methodist Church in Plainfield, New Jersey.

— Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 25 Sep. 2026
Their pastor also helped bring their children safely home on the night of the lightning strike.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of pastor

Noun

Then in 1964, Parks became a deaconess in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

— Jacqueline Howard, CNN, 22 Feb. 2025
In her younger years, Webb was an avid churchgoer in Baltimore, Maryland alongside her father, a deacon, and her mother, a deaconess, who met in a church choir.

— Robyn Mowatt, ELLE, 22 June 2023

Definition of deaconess

Noun

The first is the strikingly Gothic diocesan throne, which sits in the cathedral choir and dates from the Victorian era.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
The diocesan website includes a statement from Dallas Bishop Edward Burns connecting the need for social distancing with the story of the Good Samaritan.

— David Tarrant, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2020

Definition of diocesan

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Style

“Presbyter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presbyter. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of presbyter

noun

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