adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of priestly
before 1000; Middle English prestli, Old English prēostlic. See priest, -ly
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 only region in the world where priestly vocations are growing is Africa.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
The text also sheds light on women's roles in Babylon, including priestly duties that were previously undocumented.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 11, 2025
Close was ordained in 1969 and was placed in a variety of parishes and schools until he was put on administrative leave, with priestly faculties restricted, in 2011.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 9, 2023
Six feet one and heavyset, with a slight stoop and closely cropped white hair, Moretta favors black button-down shirts or white guayaberas when not in his priestly cassock.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2023
He looked up and, out of priestly habit, smiled benignantly at Milton, his white teeth appearing in the great bush of black beard.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
