clergyman

[klur-jee-muh n]

See more synonyms for clergyman on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural cler·gy·men.

a member of the clergy.
an ordained Christian minister.

Origin of clergyman

First recorded in 1570–80; clergy + -man

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for clergyman

Contemporary Examples

Yet again, the clergyman of the moment provided another proof for the brutal fanaticism inherent in religious nationalism.
Thinking Outside the Blue Box
Ishay Rosen-Zvi
April 9, 2012
Tanner, son of a clergyman and a foe of drinking and smoking, was generally devout and upright.
The Bible’s Gypsy Rose
Blake Gopnik
March 6, 2012
Kevin McAuliffe, a 58-year-old Nevada clergyman, faces sentencing next week for stealing $650,000 from his diocese.
Online Casinos Run by New York, Other States Will Target Gambling Addicts
Josh Axelrad
January 4, 2012

Historical Examples

This feeling was intensified by the belief that Swift, as a clergyman, was insincere.
De Libris: Prose and Verse
Austin Dobson
The clergyman was coming along the path with Schwitter at his heels.
K
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Her name was Dorothea Taust; her father, like most of his ancestors, was a clergyman.
Handel
Edward J. Dent
This gentleman was a clergyman, who had no regular parish, but who preached in a chapel of his own.
Ned Myers
James Fenimore Cooper
The clergyman looked round; one of the children was trembling.
Night and Morning, Complete
Edward Bulwer-Lytton

British Dictionary definitions for clergyman

clergyman

noun plural -men

a member of the clergyGender-neutral form: vicar, priest

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

Word Origin and History for clergyman

n.

1570s, from clergy + man (n.).

clergyman

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}clergyman

Examples from the Web for clergyman

Contemporary Examples

Yet again, the clergyman of the moment provided another proof for the brutal fanaticism inherent in religious nationalism.

Tanner, son of a clergyman and a foe of drinking and smoking, was generally devout and upright.

Kevin McAuliffe, a 58-year-old Nevada clergyman, faces sentencing next week for stealing $650,000 from his diocese.

Historical Examples

This feeling was intensified by the belief that Swift, as a clergyman, was insincere.

The clergyman was coming along the path with Schwitter at his heels.

Her name was Dorothea Taust; her father, like most of his ancestors, was a clergyman.

This gentleman was a clergyman, who had no regular parish, but who preached in a chapel of his own.

The clergyman looked round; one of the children was trembling.

clergyman

Word Origin and History for clergyman

n.

Origin of clergyman