as in church
the group ordained to perform clerical functions in the Christian church
when people find out she's a member of the clergy, they suddenly change their manner
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Recent Examples of clergy
The explosion of African clergy, theologians and scholars has also had an effect, Ilo said, shaping perceptions of African Catholicism as an indigenous, cultural movement and feeding homegrown creativity.
—
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Each campus will maintain its name, religious services and clergy.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2025
In perpetrator countries, most people were passive witnesses, but there was also considerable participation by elites including artists, university professors, Catholic and Protestant clergy, media moguls, business leaders, and even physicians.
—Robert Williams, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
In fact, Sociologist Rodolfo Soriano Nuñez told CNN Prevost was one of the few bishops in Peru who actively worked to support victims of clergy abuse.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Marc Ramirez, USA Today, 7 May 2025
Each campus will maintain its name, religious services and clergy.
—Lois K. Solomon, Sun Sentinel, 5 May 2025
In perpetrator countries, most people were passive witnesses, but there was also considerable participation by elites including artists, university professors, Catholic and Protestant clergy, media moguls, business leaders, and even physicians.
—Robert Williams, Time, 24 Apr. 2025
In fact, Sociologist Rodolfo Soriano Nuñez told CNN Prevost was one of the few bishops in Peru who actively worked to support victims of clergy abuse.
—Kc Baker, People.com, 9 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for clergy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergy
Noun
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In 1860, members of Smith's immediate family and others who had rejected Young's leadership sought to reorganize the church Smith had led.—
Frank E. Lockwood,
Arkansas Online,
24 May 2025
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However, the meeting hardly quelled tensions between the two churches.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Vatican observers have long speculated that Francis saw Prevost as a potential successor, especially given his rapid rise and central role in shaping the modern episcopate.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 May 2025
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Amicable relations had long existed between the Catholic Church in Rome and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, but the Roman episcopate embraced Mussolini’s regime and its aggressive foreign policy in the mid-1930s.—
Ian Campbell,
Foreign Affairs,
22 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Clergy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergy. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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