as in ecclesiastical
of or relating to a church
refused to discuss churchly matters except on Sundays
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Recent Examples of churchly
That theme, explored with light wit and deep humanity, makes this unabashedly churchly novel strikingly relevant to our conflicted political era.
—
Washington Post, 3 May 2022
The singer and rapper’s weary tales arrive with churchly trills, nu-metal groans, quiet-storm beats, and zero concern for coolness.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2021
Besides, the current Francis seems revolutionary enough for an era of ecological crisis, humanitarian disaster, and churchly scandal, especially since Wenders has the pope on camera directly sharing his thoughts with the audience.
—Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2018
Black leather Versace motorcycle jackets sport jeweled crucifixes inspired by Byzantine mosaics, blending edgy coolness with churchly devotion.
—Rhonda Garelick, The Cut, 10 May 2018
The music was a churchly choir, the lighting diffused, almost baroque.
—Cathy Horyn, The Cut, 15 Feb. 2018
Washington Post, 3 May 2022
The singer and rapper’s weary tales arrive with churchly trills, nu-metal groans, quiet-storm beats, and zero concern for coolness.
—Spencer Kornhaber, The Atlantic, 14 Dec. 2021
Besides, the current Francis seems revolutionary enough for an era of ecological crisis, humanitarian disaster, and churchly scandal, especially since Wenders has the pope on camera directly sharing his thoughts with the audience.
—Ty Burr, BostonGlobe.com, 16 May 2018
Black leather Versace motorcycle jackets sport jeweled crucifixes inspired by Byzantine mosaics, blending edgy coolness with churchly devotion.
—Rhonda Garelick, The Cut, 10 May 2018
The music was a churchly choir, the lighting diffused, almost baroque.
—Cathy Horyn, The Cut, 15 Feb. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for churchly
Adjective
-
In the days since Pope Francis’s death on Easter Monday, amid the mourning, marveling at the ecclesiastical opulence, and the reveling in what felt like the Catholic Super Bowl, the divine mystique of the whole affair has drawn the world in.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
12 May 2025
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Fox taught that the Inner Light emancipates a person from adherence to any creed, ecclesiastical authority or ritual forms.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 May 2025
Adjective
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Forbidden passion fueled the plot of The Thorn Birds in which the late Richard Chamberlain, played the priest Ralph de Bricassart, a heartthrob in ecclesiastic wear.—
Laird Borrelli-Persson,
Vogue,
2 Apr. 2025
-
Forget Fleabag, Conclave, Nobody Wants This, or Ramy, there’s a new ecclesiastic bombshell on the block.—
Riann Phillip,
Vogue,
31 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Some of those details are in opposition to one another – the ancient and the modern, the religious and the secular -particularly in Riyadh.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
27 May 2025
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Mahmood is the daughter of a Russian Jewish mother and an Indian Hindu father, according to past reporting, and grew up around cultural and religious practices from both sides of her family.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
26 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Churchly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/churchly. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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