convent
Americannoun
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a community of persons devoted to religious life under a superior.
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a society or association of monks, friars, or nuns: now usually used of a society of nuns.
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the building or buildings occupied by such a society; a monastery or nunnery.
- Synonyms:
- cloister
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Obsolete. assembly; meeting.
noun
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a building inhabited by a religious community, usually of nuns
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the religious community inhabiting such a building
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Also called: convent school. a school in which the teachers are nuns
Etymology
Origin of convent
1175–1225; < Medieval Latin conventus; Latin: assembly, coming together, equivalent to conven ( īre ) ( see convene) + -tus suffix of v. action; replacing Middle English covent < Anglo-French < Medieval Latin, as above
Explanation
A convent is a place where nuns live. Have you decided to dedicate the rest of your life to serving God? Well, then, maybe it’s time for you to consider moving into a convent. Although convent usually refers to the actual building where nuns live together, it can also sometimes more generally refer to a Christian community that is living according to religious vows. Catholic monks live in communities together in monasteries, while Catholic nuns tend to live in convents.
Vocabulary lists containing convent
"The Necklace" by Guy de Maupassant
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The Poet X
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Queen of the Sea
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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 women find refuge in a convent and, ultimately, in a seaside town where some measure of peace awaits them.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 4, 2026
In Rome, they founded the convent of Santa Maria del Popolo at one of the city's main entrances, with trees and gardens nearby.
From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026
In 1990, after almost five decades of shuttling among temporary locations, the painting was finally installed in Rimini’s new Museo della Città, a renovated Jesuit convent.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 23, 2026
Sister Regina arrived at the convent in 1958 and Sister Rita in 1962.
From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025
The move was linked with the entry of his daughters, 16-year-old Virginia and 15-year-old Livia, to the nearby convent at Arcetri, where they became members of the order of the Poor Clares.
From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin
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.
