EN

Synonyms for clergyman

  • noun

Most common

priest preacher vicar churchman minister pastor deacon parson

All synonyms

Noun

preacher, churchman, priest, vicar, pastor, deacon, parson, minister, rector, cleric, chaplain, ecclesiastic, friar, missionary, monk, presbyter, evangelist, dean, divine, shepherd, padre, curate, dominie, sky pilot slang

Antonyms

layman

All antonyms of clergyman →

Definitions

  1. n. 1

    A male member of a clergy; especially, an ordained (male) Christian minister.

Related words

Is a kind of
clergyperson cleric

Forms

Plural
clergymen → preachers, churchmen, priests, vicars…

Example sentences

  • priest The main duty of a priest is to preach in church.
  • preacher I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
  • vicar The vicar often refers to the Bible in his sermon.
  • minister The Foreign Minister said that war was inevitable.
  • pastor Tom is the pastor at the church that Mary goes to.

Popularity over time

Word1850 → 2019Trend
clergymansteady
priestrising
preacherrising
vicarsteady
churchmanfalling
ministersteady

Use in printed books, per decade from 1850 to 2019.

By length

4 letters
dean1, monk1
5 letters
vicar2, padre2, friar2
6 letters
priest1, divine2, pastor2, deacon2, cleric2, rector2, curate2, parson2
7 letters
dominie
8 letters
minister3, shepherd2, preacher2, chaplain2
9 letters
churchman2, presbyter
10 letters
missionary4, evangelist4
12 letters
ecclesiastic5

The small number after each word is its number of syllables (vicar2 = 2 syllables).