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clergyman

American  
[klur-jee-muhn] / ˈklɜr dʒi mən /

noun

plural

clergymen

  1. a member of the clergy.

  2. an ordained Christian minister.

clergyman British  
/ ˈklɜːdʒɪmən /

noun

  1. Gender-neutral form: vicar.   priest.  a member of the clergy

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of clergyman

First recorded in 1570–80; clergy + -man

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The sermon was given by Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, a senior Catholic clergyman, who spoke of the importance of rejecting intolerance and and the "massive persecution of Christians in so many places".

From BBC

He was joined by clergymen including Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, the most senior bishop in Eastern Orthodoxy.

From The Wall Street Journal

It turns out that each of them has some tangled history with the deceased clergyman.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Chicago-born clergyman, who spent nearly 20 years as a missionary in Peru and eventually obtained citizenship, took the name Leo XIV.

From Barron's

In the early 20th century, a clergyman named Montague Summers wrote histories of European vampires that displayed his erudition and eccentricity—not least because he was sure that vampires really did exist.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.