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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Recent Examples of priesthood
Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Francis joined the Catholic priesthood at 18 and rose up the ranks of the Argentine clergy.
—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 15 July 2025
Back in the 1980s, Nicanor Palacios was an altar boy with Leo during his early priesthood in nearby Piura, and traveled the area with him for services.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Long before the papacy, even before his first steps toward priesthood, for Jorge Mario Bergoglio – the boy who would go on to become Pope Francis – there was his hometown sports club, Buenos Aires’ San Lorenzo de Almagro.
—Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández, The Conversation, 9 May 2025
When Pope Francis convened Roman Catholic bishops at the Vatican in 2019 to discuss the ordination of married men in remote parts of South America, the meeting raised expectations about the possibility of revolutionizing the celibate priesthood.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for priesthood
Emiliano Tahui Gómez, Austin American Statesman, 15 July 2025
Back in the 1980s, Nicanor Palacios was an altar boy with Leo during his early priesthood in nearby Piura, and traveled the area with him for services.
—Caitlin Stephen Hu, CNN Money, 12 May 2025
Long before the papacy, even before his first steps toward priesthood, for Jorge Mario Bergoglio – the boy who would go on to become Pope Francis – there was his hometown sports club, Buenos Aires’ San Lorenzo de Almagro.
—Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández, The Conversation, 9 May 2025
When Pope Francis convened Roman Catholic bishops at the Vatican in 2019 to discuss the ordination of married men in remote parts of South America, the meeting raised expectations about the possibility of revolutionizing the celibate priesthood.
—Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for priesthood
Recent Examples of Synonyms for priesthood
Noun
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The entire film plays out over one long party at an English estate, where the stuffy, traditional English aristocracy collide with Hedda’s bohemian artist friends.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
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Lots of Guinness family members lived in England and had titles in British aristocracy, and some even became Protestant clergymen.—
Olivia B. Waxman,
Time,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Kovalchuk's comments show the Russian elite is likely to remain deeply anti-Western and sympathetic toward conspiracy theories for the foreseeable future.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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During the trial, Combs' lawyers acknowledged that the man once famed for hosting lavish parties for the cultural elite in luxurious locales like the Hamptons and Saint-Tropez was at times violent in his relationships.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Likely had a breakout season last year, totaling 42 catches, 477 yards and six touchdowns — all career bests.—
Hunter Simpson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 Sep. 2025
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Course Difficulty Flat, straight courses without many hills favor personal bests.—
Christopher Bergland,
Verywell Health,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Here's what to know about Adelita Grijalva, the representative-elect from Arizona's 7th Congressional District.—
Laura Gersony,
AZCentral.com,
25 Sep. 2025
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Democratic Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva is on track to outperform former Vice President Kamala Harris by double digits in the special election to replace her late father, former Representative Raul Grijalva.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The proportion of Americans who believe legal sports betting is bad for both society and sport in the United States has increased sharply over the past three years, according to a new poll.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Money was flowing in, as the US and its allies attempted to rebuild civil society destroyed by the Taliban’s brutal rule from 1996 to 2001, even as fighting and insecurity still plagued swathes of the nation.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Priesthood.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priesthood. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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