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

Essential California asked the bishop about his letter and the church’s role in the immigration debate while checking in with a couple of Catholic scholars who offered their perspectives.

— Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 25 Oct. 2026
Asked whether the White House had or hadn't received the bishop's consent for releasing the photos and video, the press office declined to answer that question.

— ABC News, ABC News, 25 Oct. 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 men were also ordered to return more than 300 million baht (about $9 million) to the hospice at Wat Phra Bat Namphu temple in the central province of Lopburi, where Alongkot had served as abbot.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
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

Definition of abbot

Noun

In neighboring Uruguay, where Leo’s visit is expected to energize the Catholic minority in a country that officially celebrates Christmas as Family Day, Cardinal Daniel Sturla, the archbishop of Montevideo, tempered hopes for the historic visit.

— ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
The festival closes with Sam Pollard’s Tutu, a profile of the South African archbishop, anti-Apartheid activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of archbishop

Noun

Making small talk, for instance, can help forge both personal and professional relationships down the line, says Kristie Patten, dean of NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development.

— Gili Malinsky, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Now in its third year, women make up a majority of the BHC's enrollment, according to the college's dean, Boatamo Ati Mosupyoe.

— Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of dean

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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“Presbyter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/presbyter. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of presbyter

noun

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