as in aristocracy
individuals carefully selected as being the best of a class
a gathering of Mafia dons that was in effect a convocation of the nation's priesthood of organized crime
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of priesthood
Ordained to the Catholic priesthood in June, Jimenez was watching as parishioners acted out the Nativity scene during a posada, a Latin American tradition that reenacts Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem in search of shelter.
—
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
In a faith where men hold all priesthood authority, reality TV has become an unexpected loophole for female dissent.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Rather than the writer pontificating about how Pfleger needs to retire from active priesthood, how about a better use of his time by advocating the notion that pedophile priests should be retired to jail.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Black men also were banned from ordained priesthood.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for priesthood
Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Dec. 2025
In a faith where men hold all priesthood authority, reality TV has become an unexpected loophole for female dissent.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Nov. 2025
Rather than the writer pontificating about how Pfleger needs to retire from active priesthood, how about a better use of his time by advocating the notion that pedophile priests should be retired to jail.
—Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Black men also were banned from ordained priesthood.
—Suzette Hackney, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for priesthood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for priesthood
Noun
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On the show, Ha, a maid, meets Bridgerton, whose family is of high-ranking aristocracy, at a masquerade ball, where her identity is concealed by a mask.—
Angeline Jane Bernabe,
ABC News,
4 Mar. 2026
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According to Deirdre Clemente, a fashion and culture historian, the emergence of the suit as the standard for men in the 18th and 19th centuries was itself a rebellion against the ornate, flashy and colorful clothing associated with aristocracy.—
Rustin Dodd,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Rori Harmon, Texas women are single-minded Four years ago, the Texas women were looking to return to the elite of college basketball.—
Cedric Golden,
Austin American Statesman,
20 Mar. 2026
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While two of these leaders have since been killed by Israeli strikes, they are included here to provide a more complete picture of Iran’s powerful elite – people deeply embedded in the Islamic Republic’s political, intelligence and security architecture.—
Mehrzad Boroujerdi,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
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But Pickens wants a long-term deal, and 2025 brought lots of career-bests for him in a contract year.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
16 Mar. 2026
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All these people in their Sunday best.—
Will Croxton,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Louis Koo is making his debut in the franchise playing Chief Executive-elect Adrian Yip Shun-ting.—
Liz Shackleton,
Deadline,
18 Mar. 2026
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Husted was Ohio's lieutenant governor-elect in early 2019, when prosecutors claim Jones and Dowling bribed the late Randazzo in exchange for legislative and regulatory favors.—
JULIE CARR SMYTH THE ASSOCIATED PRESS,
Arkansas Online,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Until then, smuggling weed had been a grand adventure, an escape from a society that had just thrown Prager’s generation into a meat grinder in Vietnam, a repudiation of the crooked politicians and backward preachers and greedy capitalists who were running the world.—
Jack Crosbie,
Rolling Stone,
17 Mar. 2026
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Nearly 75% of the world's population lives in countries that have to import fossil fuels in order to power their societies and provide basic services to people, according to EMBER, any energy think tank, based on their calculations of International Energy Agency data.—
Julia Jacobo,
ABC News,
17 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Priesthood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priesthood. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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