PRIESTS Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

priests

noun

plural of priest

as in preachers

a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church searched for a priest who could perform an exorcism

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Recent Examples of priests Moretta is 10 years past the customary retirement age for Catholic priests. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2026 The church began ordaining women as priests in the 1980s, beginning with Lucia Okuthe of the diocese of Maseno South in 1983. — Stephanie Triplettall, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026 Bedward elicits commentary from latter-day scholars, historians, and Vodou priests. — Dennis Harvey, Variety, 31 July 2026 The fabric above the bed is from a kesa robe, worn by some Buddhist priests. — Wendy Goodman, Curbed, 25 July 2026 Based on Landa’s work, Mayanists of the 1930s and ‘40s developed an image of the classic Maya as a civilization without war, but living under the control of astronomer-priests who used their complex calendars to rule the common people. — Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 21 July 2026 At the church near the cemetery’s entrance there’s a funeral, and the chants of the priests fill the square. — Literary Hub, 20 July 2026 Three of my aunts were nuns, many of my cousins became priests, and my parents, siblings and I were all educated by the Jesuits. — Geri McGinn Kerger, Chicago Tribune, 20 July 2026 Leaders envision a campus that will eventually include a larger church, classrooms, residences for priests and teaching sisters, a cemetery and a school. — Nora O'Neill, Charlotte Observer, 15 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for priests

Noun

Videos posted on social media show street preachers speaking with multiple police officers outside the event.

— Emily Holshouser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 July 2026
Instead, there are countless influencers, preachers, and personalities who have created niche movements with their own theologies and political alignments.

— Meghan O’Gieblyn, The New York Review of Books, 11 July 2026

Definition of preachers

Noun

The church refused, and Armenia's Prosecutor General's office launched the case against Karekin and the other clerics in February, accusing them of defying a court order and barring them from leaving the country.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Aug. 2026
In July, over 250 former lawmakers, clerics, professors and other public figures signed an anti-war petition warning of the costs of the conflict.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of clerics

Noun

The same is true of thousands of cabinet ministers, central bank governors, generals, and chief executives.

— James K. Glassman, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
The program was slowly implemented, and the first native African ministers ordained in Kenya, Ishmael Semler and William Jones, were ordained in 1885.

— Stephanie TriplettAll, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of ministers

Noun

Her parents, Baptist deacons who ultimately left the church over its refusal to ordain women, raised their children to wrestle with such questions.

— Pamela Colloff, ProPublica, 30 June 2026
While women cannot be ordained as priests or deacons, they are not forbidden from teaching the faith as theologians, catechists and scholars.

— Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 2 May 2026

Definition of deacons

Noun

Churchgoers mourn beloved pastors People passing by the Pentecostal City Mission Church were overcome with emotion Friday after learning the horrific details of the crash that killed their beloved bishop and assistant pastor.

— Mark Prussin, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
By visiting with the sick and shut-in, helping the bereaved, ministering to the incarcerated, always being willing to open the doors of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church to more people, teaching theology to other pastors and more, Thornhill was a pastor.

— Sophia Tiedge, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025

Definition of pastors

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“Priests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priests. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of priests

noun

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