APOSTOLIC Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

apostolic

adjective

Definition of apostolic

as in episcopal

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 apostolic Pope Leo at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa on Monday, the second day of his apostolic visit to Lebanon. — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 3 Dec. 2025 All those present in the audience in the Vatican’s apostolic palace met Leo personally at the end, with Lee presenting the first American pope with a New York Knicks jersey. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025 Until then, Vigneron will serve as apostolic administrator for the Detroit archdiocese. — Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 11 Feb. 2025 If that’s the case, then the plausibility of traditional Christianity collapses, for its authority is based on the claim to have preserved intact the apostolic witness, the most reliable source of revelation. — R. R. Reno, Foreign Affairs, 13 Nov. 2018 See All Example Sentences for apostolic

Recent Examples of Synonyms for apostolic

Adjective

After returning to the United States, Novakovic attended an Episcopal boarding school in San Antonio, Texas.

— byRachel Cole, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 May 2026
On New Year’s Eve in 1996, Christou followed Deadbeat with a club at a former Episcopal church that was built in 1865.

— Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026

Definition of episcopal

Adjective

For Leo, that distinction comes from making the highly recognizable papal wardrobe part of his own public style.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026
Ghost have shared the new trailer for 2 Big to Rig, the upcoming concert film documenting the Swedish papal heavy metal outfit’s 2025 gigs in Mexico City.

— Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026

Definition of papal

Adjective

As literary scholar Leah Price has observed, the it-narrative’s premise held special appeal for Christian missionaries, whose evangelical activities likewise hinged on social circulation.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Aug. 2026
The two, who had a 15-year age gap, began having an affair in 2015, which divided the evangelical members.

— Kalia Richardson, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of evangelical

Adjective

The best family offices do not treat trust administration as clerical work.

— Michael Gold CFP, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Critics of Iran's clerical rulers hoped initially that Iran's government would collapse amid a bombing campaign that killed Iran's most senior military and religious officials, including its supreme leader.

— Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of clerical

Adjective

France and Saudi Arabia have formed a task force on energy and logistics connections between the Middle East and Europe that is scheduled to meet at the ministerial level Monday.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Aug. 2026
In 2002, the FA was forced to change the name of the competition by the Charity Commission — the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales.

— Colin Millar, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of ministerial

Adjective

There are mental health resources, risk management programs, and chapter chaplains who provide real pastoral support.

— Todd Buchanan, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 Aug. 2026
Engineer Tim Goldstone mixed the album in the English countryside, with the band hanging out in the pastoral setting of Ridge Farm Studio, where the Smiths had recorded Meat Is Murder.

— Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of pastoral

Adjective

Leo opened his visit to Pompeii by meeting with sick and disabled people who are cared for by a charity center affiliated with the sanctuary, which Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, declared a pontifical basilica in 1901.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
That public spat has overshadowed his pontifical tour of four African countries, which ended Thursday with a Mass for thousands of people in Malabo, the former capital of Equatorial Guinea.

— Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026

Definition of pontifical

Browse Nearby Words

apostles

apostolic

apothecaries

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Apostolic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/apostolic. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of apostolic

adjective

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on apostolic

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

gumption

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes