prioress

Definition of prioressnext

Example Sentences

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 prioress The slow-burn thriller is partially based on a 17th century ballad in which the heroic outlaw’s cousin, a malevolent prioress, bleeds the older, ailing Robin to death under the guise of the ancient medical treatment known as bloodletting. Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026 For the senior members of the order — two successive prioresses and the conflicted but maternal assistant prioress, Mother Marie — the role of self-abnegation is a deep moral mystery, one that takes a lifetime to fully understand. Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle, 16 Oct. 2022 It’s set in the twelfth century, and is about a young Frenchwoman, Marie de France, the illegitimate offspring of royalty, who is sent to England by Eleanor of Aquitaine and becomes the prioress of an abbey. Cressida Leyshon, The New Yorker, 27 Apr. 2021 Matrix by Lauren Groff Currents of violence and devotion coalesce around Marie de France, a 17-year-old sent to be the new prioress of a 12th-century English abbey. Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for prioress
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prioress
Noun
  • Hildegard was a Catholic abbess of the Benedictine Order.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Now, thanks to a greater emphasis on women’s education in recent years, Tibetan Buddhist nuns are increasingly becoming teachers and abbesses.
    Darcie Price-Wallace, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent.
    Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
Noun
  • Texas lawmakers help secure nun's release As news of Ugboaja's detention spread, members of southern Texas’ congressional delegation called for the nun's release.
    Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 2 July 2026
  • Over the last week, the agency has arrested 10,000 people, including a nun in Texas who was later released after outcry from officials, community leaders and activists.
    Vera Lucia Pappaterra, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026
Noun
  • The free Apple Photos is approachable for photography novices but still powerful enough to satisfy those who want extra control.
    Michael Muchmore, PC Magazine, 29 June 2026
  • Authorities say five instructors, five novice tandem jumpers and the pilot died when the Pilatus PC-6 suddenly fell almost vertically near homes after leaving Nancy-Essey airfield.
    Antonin Utz, Los Angeles Times, 28 June 2026
Noun
  • As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras.
    Laura Rodríguez Presa, chicagotribune.com, 11 Sep. 2020

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Cite this Entry

“Prioress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prioress. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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