as in preachers
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
searched for a priest who could perform an exorcism
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of priests
The group, formed in 1970 to oppose Vatican II modernizations, has quietly become a parallel church operating globally with 733 priests, 264 seminarians and 50 nationalities despite decades of schism.
—
Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Leo met Thursday with German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who — despite Fernández's letter — recently recommended that priests in his archdiocese use the German guidelines as a basis for their pastoral care.
—ABC News, 9 May 2026
Leo met Thursday with German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who — despite Fernández’s letter — recently recommended that priests in his archdiocese use the German guidelines as a basis for their pastoral care.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
Pastors and priests have a reputation for being peacemakers, but several people in the book actually say that Pope Leo is not averse to a fight.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 29 Apr. 2026
In early seventeenth-century England, doctors and priests often clashed over sensational cases; for example, that of young Mary Glover.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
An Alameda County jury on Wednesday delivered a $16 million judgment against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, in a key lawsuit that could have far-reaching consequences for both the church and for hundreds of people claiming decades of abuse by its priests.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Pilate did not cave to hostile crowds indiscriminately, or do whatever the chief priests wanted.
—Nathanael Andrade, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2025
Clarke spoke about The Devil’s Doorway, her 2018 found footage horror film about two priests who are sent by the Vatican to investigate a mysterious event in an Irish home.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Leo met Thursday with German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who — despite Fernández's letter — recently recommended that priests in his archdiocese use the German guidelines as a basis for their pastoral care.
—ABC News, 9 May 2026
Leo met Thursday with German Cardinal Reinhard Marx, who — despite Fernández’s letter — recently recommended that priests in his archdiocese use the German guidelines as a basis for their pastoral care.
—Nicole Winfield, Chicago Tribune, 9 May 2026
Pastors and priests have a reputation for being peacemakers, but several people in the book actually say that Pope Leo is not averse to a fight.
—Belinda Luscombe, Time, 29 Apr. 2026
In early seventeenth-century England, doctors and priests often clashed over sensational cases; for example, that of young Mary Glover.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
An Alameda County jury on Wednesday delivered a $16 million judgment against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Oakland, in a key lawsuit that could have far-reaching consequences for both the church and for hundreds of people claiming decades of abuse by its priests.
—Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026
Pilate did not cave to hostile crowds indiscriminately, or do whatever the chief priests wanted.
—Nathanael Andrade, The Conversation, 11 Apr. 2025
Clarke spoke about The Devil’s Doorway, her 2018 found footage horror film about two priests who are sent by the Vatican to investigate a mysterious event in an Irish home.
—Diana Lodderhose, Deadline, 8 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for priests
Noun
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Badenoch has called for stronger enforcement, including deporting foreign preachers who are spreading hate in mosques and other institutions.—
Ariella Noveck,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
-
Dollison was a regular contributor to the Church of Christ publication The Living Message, which credited him as being a major inspiration for many influential Arkansas Church of Christ preachers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The lawsuit echoes criticism that most commissioners are conservative Christian clerics and commentators; one is an Orthodox Jewish rabbi.—
Peter Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
-
The group’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Mohammad-Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi, who died in 2021, was one of the country’s most radical clerics.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
Tedros and Spain’s health and interior ministers are supervising the operation on Tenerife.—
Iain Sullivan,
Los Angeles Times,
10 May 2026
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Tedros and Spain’s health and interior ministers are supervising the operation in Tenerife.—
Iain Sullivan,
Fortune,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
While women cannot be ordained as priests or deacons, they are not forbidden from teaching the faith as theologians, catechists and scholars.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
2 May 2026
-
At the 1978 Lambeth Conference, Nigerian leadership opposed the recommendation to allow the ordination of women as deacons and priests, though the proposal sparked debate within the church.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Churchgoers mourn beloved pastors People passing by the Pentecostal City Mission Church were overcome with emotion Friday after learning the horrific details of the crash that killed their beloved bishop and assistant pastor.—
Mark Prussin,
CBS News,
24 Apr. 2026
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By visiting with the sick and shut-in, helping the bereaved, ministering to the incarcerated, always being willing to open the doors of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church to more people, teaching theology to other pastors and more, Thornhill was a pastor.—
Sophia Tiedge,
jsonline.com,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Bhikkhu Pannakara, the leader of the Walk for Peace, thanked the monks' community, the governors, pastors, reverends and local law enforcement officers who welcomed them along their way.—
Michelle Del Rey,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Priests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priests. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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