clergy

American  

[klur-jee] / ˈklɜr dʒi /

noun

plural

clergies

1. the group or body of ordained persons in a religion, as distinguished from the laity.

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clergy British  

/ ˈklɜːdʒɪ /

noun

1. the collective body of men and women ordained as religious ministers, esp of the Christian Church

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Grammar

See collective noun.

Other Word Forms

• anticlergy adjective
• clergylike adjective
• proclergy adjective

Etymology

Origin of clergy

1175–1225; Middle English clerge, clergie < Old French clergé (< Late Latin clericātus office of a priest; cleric, -ate ³ ), clergie, equivalent to clerc cleric + -ie -y ³, with -g- after clergé

Example Sentences

Like the other clergy members I spoke with, Wille talked frankly about managing the emotional and spiritual toll of this work.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

Nonprofessional counselors, including family and clergy, can still engage in this conduct, as can professional counselors outside of their paid practice.

From Slate • Mar. 31, 2026

More than 40 of England's 108 bishops are now women, with a similar proportion among priests, after women clergy were first permitted in the early 1990s.

From Barron's • Mar. 25, 2026

She added Safe in Faith trained Catholic clergy and parishes to "understand spiritual abuse and to develop trauma-informed responses to support people like Grace".

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

In the case of the king, he makes a particular kind of choice of expert, in that he licenses people to practice—above all, in Hobbes’s world, he licenses the clergy to preach.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• priesthood