as in priest
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
a clergyperson of your choice would be the best one to advise on this spiritual matter
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Recent Examples of clergyperson
What makes the family tradition sustainable in central Massachusetts, where the Vallelis now live, is a pastor-sharing arrangement between two congregations that couldn’t afford a full-time clergyperson on their own.
—
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2020
G. Jeffrey MacDonald, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 Apr. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clergyperson
Noun
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The man, named as 69-year-old Morimasa Hibino by the Japanese embassy, was spotted in the ditch next to the monument about seven meters (23 feet) below the street level by a priest who alerted authorities.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN Money,
25 Oct. 2025
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The paranormal investigators claim to have been summoned by a priest named Father Cooke when two young women — Donna and Angie — wanted to perform an exorcism to get rid of the spirit of a dead 7-year-old girl named Annabelle Higgins, who had inhabited their doll.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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At this point, Malcolm was no longer an up-and-coming preacher.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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Enter Caleb Samuel — a flashy, social media–famous preacher’s kid with three million followers, a fast car, and a complicated relationship with his megachurch dynasty.—
Emlyn Travis,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Meanwhile, cousin Edmund, an aspiring clergyman, falls under the charms of Mary Crawford, written by Austen as a charming but immoral woman.—
Emily Zarevich,
JSTOR Daily,
11 Sep. 2025
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Blanc seeks to interview alongside another clergyman (O'Connor, 35).—
Tommy McArdle,
People.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Another friend was an evangelical pastor who grew up in the Jim Crow South believing that Black people were subhuman.—
John Blake,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
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As tensions boiled, clashes broke out and federal agents used pepper balls and tear gas, hitting journalists, a pastor and officers with the Chicago Police Department, according to reports and a lawsuit.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clergyperson.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clergyperson. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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