oblate

noun

Definition of oblatenext
as in friar

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 oblate The new archbishop is an associate member [oblate] of Pluscarden Abbey, a Benedictine community in Scotland, and is known as an able administrator who took decisions to re-organize the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025 For an oblate, prayer was an occupation, both a way to fill the day and a mystical way of healing the world. — Lawrence Wright, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025 In the north, Solomon knew, young oblates, the cherished daughters of gentlewomen, were given to the Lord out of the ranks of the nobility. — Cynthia Ozick, Harper’s Magazine , 10 Apr. 2023 But Earth is an oblate spheroid, meaning a 3D shape created by an ellipsis that’s rotating around its shorter axis—like a more rounded jelly donut. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 12 Feb. 2020 This was unexpected at Jupiter—a heavy, fast rotating, oblate (flattened at the poles) planet. — Andrew Coates, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for oblate
  1. friar
  2. monastic
  3. monk
  4. mendicant
  5. ecclesiastic
  6. deacon
  7. reverend
  8. preacher
Noun
  • Fra Giovanni da Pian del Carpine, who was a medieval Italian Franciscan friar and explorer in 1244 went to Mongolia [as a papal ambassador].
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 13 June 2026
  • The storied residence was first commissioned in 1712 by Anna Gravina, Princess of Gravina and Valguarnera, and it's also attributed to Dominican friar and architect Tommaso Maria Napoli.
    — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026
Definition of friar
Noun
  • The Bible’s message was seen as not only informative but salvific, and the monastic who memorized its words filled his or her soul with divine wisdom.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
  • Historical questions remain, however, regarding whether such practices were primarily reserved for monastics or widely practiced among laypeople.
    — Daniel M. Stuart, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of monastic
Noun
  • The monk-to-entrepreneur pipeline has shocked some of his fans and followers who say making $21 million a year is antithetical to a monk lifestyle.
    — Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
  • Users who have downloaded his app include a strip club owner, a Buddhist monk and parents.
    — Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of monk
Noun
  • Throughout much of Buddhist history, and particularly in Theravada Buddhist contexts, mindfulness and its associated meditation methods have been the purview of mendicants (monks and nuns), who used mindfulness meditation to achieve trance states (jhana) leading to nirvana.
    — Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
  • An internationally famous leader who lived a mendicant’s life.
    — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026
Definition of mendicant
Noun
  • Of all the precious goods accumulated by the rulers and ecclesiastics of late medieval Ethiopia, the most charged of all were books.
    — Peter Brown, The New York Review of Books, 24 Sep. 2020
  • This shop for ecclesiastics has an exquisite selection of high-quality pieces.
    — Zoe Ruffner, Vogue, 19 Dec. 2019
Definition of ecclesiastic
Noun
  • This summer, archaeologists uncovered a 1,700-year-old Byzantine city in Egypt, complete with a church and a deacon's home.
    — Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Church deacons want it to be called Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, its previous name.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of deacon
Noun
  • However, a reverend in Zambia — Billiance Chondwe — says he's noticed a change.
    — Gabrielle Emanuel, NPR, 18 June 2026
  • Spirtual foundation Astara, where Guidera reportedly served as a reverend, paid tribute to the late actor in an emotional social media post over the weekend.
    — Edward Segarra, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Definition of reverend
Noun
  • In the book, a man known only as the Shepherd, a one-handed, somewhat insane preacher, starts turning the masses of King’s Landing against the Targaryens — and their dragons.
    — James Grebey, Vulture, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The Burkes were also very religious, with Dawud occasionally serving as a Pentecostal preacher.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of preacher

Browse Nearby Words

objurgations
oblate
oblates
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Oblate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/oblate. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on oblate

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oblate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of rigmarole

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

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

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'
See More

Popular

See More

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

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All