monastic

[muh-nas-tik]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR monastic ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective Also mo·nas·ti·cal.

of or relating to monasteries: a monastic library.

of, relating to, or characteristic of monks or nuns, their manner of life, or their religious obligations: monastic vows.

of, relating to, or characteristic of a secluded, dedicated, or austere manner of living.

noun

a member of a monastic community or order, especially a monk.

Origin of monastic

1400–50; late Middle English monastik < Late Latin monasticus < Late Greek monastikós, equivalent to monas- (verbid stem of monázein to be alone; see mon-) + -ikos -ic, with -t- by analogy with derivatives of agent nouns in -tēs (cf. athlete, athletic)

Related formsmo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverbnon·mo·nas·tic, adjectivenon·mo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverbpseu·do·mo·nas·tic, adjectivepseu·do·mo·nas·ti·cal, adjectivepseu·do·mo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverbsem·i·mo·nas·tic, adjectiveun·mo·nas·tic, adjectiveun·mo·nas·ti·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for monastic

secluded, austere, contemplative, solitary, ascetic, celibate, oblate, reclusive, monkish

Examples from the Web for monastic

Contemporary Examples of monastic

Christianity spawned the monastic movement, originally in Egypt, that insisted upon peace, self-reliance, education and charity.
Karen Armstrong’s New Rule: Religion Isn’t Responsible for Violence
Patricia Pearson
October 29, 2014
But his period of monastic seclusion officially comes to an end on Thursday.
Brennan Emerges From The Shadows
Daniel Klaidman
August 6, 2013
A Youtube video of some jet-setting Buddhist monks has Thailand scrambling to crack down on materialism in the monastic ranks.
Jet-Setting Video of Thai Buddhist Monks Causes Scandal
Erin Cunningham
June 18, 2013
This should be manifestly clear this morning even to the most monastic heirs of David Broder.
Mr. Smith's Insane Cousins Go to Washington
Michael Tomasky
December 21, 2012
You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone.
Prophet Muhammad’s Rules of War
Qasim Rashid
November 20, 2012

Historical Examples of monastic

Many were the efforts to reform the abuses which crept into the monastic houses.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
We will now see the monks at work, and spend a day with them in their monastic home.
English Villages
P. H. Ditchfield
But with the passage of centuries the church and monastic building of Sta.
Portuguese Architecture
Walter Crum Watson
The rest of the monastic buildings have been in ruins since the siege of 1832.
Portuguese Architecture
Walter Crum Watson
There's a monastic simplicity about this joint that endears it to me.
The Trail of '98
Robert W. Service

British Dictionary definitions for monastic

monastic

adjective monastical

of or relating to monasteries or monks, nuns, etc

resembling this sort of life; reclusive

noun

a person who is committed to this way of life, esp a monk

Derived Formsmonastically, adverb

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 monastic

adj.

mid-15c., from Middle French monastique "monkish, monastic," or directly from Late Latin monasticus, from Ecclesiastical Greek monastikos "solitary, pertaining to a monk," from Greek monazein "to live alone" (see monastery). Related: Monastical (c.1400).