noun
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a policy of upholding the power of the clergy
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the power of the clergy esp when excessively strong
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of clericalism
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.
He once used an unexpectedly shocking simile to denounce what he termed "hypocritical clericalism".
From BBC ● Apr. 22, 2025
“To many in the church it is symbolic of deeper issues of clericalism and separation from the faithful,” retired King County Superior Court judge and Heal Our Church steering committee founder Terrence Carroll said.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 9, 2022
"Pope Francis renewed his support for me ... he repeated that he considered me a victim of hypocrisy and clericalism," Archbishop Michel Aupetit told the official Vatican News website.
From Reuters ● Feb. 4, 2022
In 2016, he directed The Student, a film that mocked the country’s increasing clericalism and intolerance.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 17, 2020
But, as between agnosticism and ecclesiasticism, or, as our neighbours across the Channel call it, clericalism, there can be neither peace nor truce.
From Thomas Henry Huxley; A Sketch Of His Life And Work by Mitchell, P. Chalmers (Peter Chalmers)
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.
