as in ecclesiastical
of or relating to a church
the waning of ecclesial power in Europe as the number of lapsed Christians increases
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 ecclesial
The Reforming Popes of the 11th and 12th centuries, beginning with Leo IX and culminating with Innocent III, addressed the ecclesial crises of their day.
—
Case Thorp, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2025
During the latter half of the century, the Brazilian Catholic church shifted its approach from one that centered on elites and favored the status quo to one that promoted social justice and ecclesial and political action on behalf of the poor.
—Chayenne Polimédio, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2019
In the case of the Synodal Path reform in Germany, some of the core of the beliefs of the Catholic Church, such as the Church’s divine constitution and ecclesial communion, the Sacraments, and the ministerial Priesthood, are being questioned once again.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
And yet, in the process of fleeing broken ecclesial institutions, didn’t the new contemplatives also constitute a body politic?
—Fred Bahnson, Harpers Magazine, 5 Jan. 2021
Others suggest that any sort of ecclesial peace that had reigned was over and that Francis is now more exposed to critics, deprived of the moderating influence Benedict played in keeping the conservative Catholic fringe at bay.
—Nicole Winfield, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Jan. 2023
His ecclesial service was without parallel in Australia.
—Raymond J. De Souza, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2023
While increasingly common, the ecclesial apology is a relatively modern phenomenon, said Jeremy Bergen, a church apology expert and professor of religious and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario.
—Peter Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 24 July 2022
In addition to that, one of the goals the synodal reform is to change completely the ecclesial structures of the Church in Germany and elsewhere.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
Case Thorp, The Orlando Sentinel, 22 May 2025
During the latter half of the century, the Brazilian Catholic church shifted its approach from one that centered on elites and favored the status quo to one that promoted social justice and ecclesial and political action on behalf of the poor.
—Chayenne Polimédio, Foreign Affairs, 7 Mar. 2019
In the case of the Synodal Path reform in Germany, some of the core of the beliefs of the Catholic Church, such as the Church’s divine constitution and ecclesial communion, the Sacraments, and the ministerial Priesthood, are being questioned once again.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
And yet, in the process of fleeing broken ecclesial institutions, didn’t the new contemplatives also constitute a body politic?
—Fred Bahnson, Harpers Magazine, 5 Jan. 2021
Others suggest that any sort of ecclesial peace that had reigned was over and that Francis is now more exposed to critics, deprived of the moderating influence Benedict played in keeping the conservative Catholic fringe at bay.
—Nicole Winfield, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Jan. 2023
His ecclesial service was without parallel in Australia.
—Raymond J. De Souza, WSJ, 12 Jan. 2023
While increasingly common, the ecclesial apology is a relatively modern phenomenon, said Jeremy Bergen, a church apology expert and professor of religious and theological studies at Conrad Grebel University College in Waterloo, Ontario.
—Peter Smith, BostonGlobe.com, 24 July 2022
In addition to that, one of the goals the synodal reform is to change completely the ecclesial structures of the Church in Germany and elsewhere.
—Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ecclesial
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
“Ecclesial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ecclesial. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share