FRIAR Synonyms: 65 Similar and Opposite Words

friar

noun

Definition of friar

as in monk

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of friar The storied residence was first commissioned in 1712 by Anna Gravina, Princess of Gravina and Valguarnera, and it's also attributed to Dominican friar and architect Tommaso Maria Napoli. — Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 5 June 2026 Paolo Benanti, a Franciscan friar and one of the pope’s key AI advisers, argued in December that human intelligence and dignity are unlike any sort of intelligence that could arise from digital minds. — Jared Perlo, NBC news, 24 May 2026 Nearly 500 years before, a Franciscan friar arrived in what is now the state of Jalisco carrying a 13-inch icon of the Virgin Mary that had been molded by Indigenous craftsmen from a paste of corn pith and orchid bulbs. — Franklin Leonard, Vanity Fair, 14 May 2026 As the first year of Leo’s historic pontificate comes to a close, the longtime missionary and Augustinian friar remains a stalwart champion of migrants, the poor and care for the environment, a trinity of issues at the core of his ministry. — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for friar

Recent Examples of Synonyms for friar

Noun

Meanwhile, one monk intones that more offerings will bring the family greater blessing and peace.

— Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 8 Oct. 2026
What draws Béatrice’s attention is a fantastical claim made by a Benedictine monk in an Italian magazine article from the 1970s.

— Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of monk

Noun

Throughout much of Buddhist history, and particularly in Theravada Buddhist contexts, mindfulness and its associated meditation methods have been the purview of mendicants (monks and nuns), who used mindfulness meditation to achieve trance states (jhana) leading to nirvana.

— Charles Preston, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Apr. 2026
An internationally famous leader who lived a mendicant’s life.

— Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 18 Mar. 2026

Definition of mendicant

Noun

The film chronicled Gortner’s youth as a Pentecostal preacher in the American South and exposed the deceptive practices used to bilk believers out of their money.

— Greg Evans, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
In the halcyon days of the televangelists, when Jim Bakker stood shoulder to shoulder with fire and brimstone preachers such as Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson and Jimmy Swaggart, the collection plate always seemed bottomless.

— Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of preacher

Noun

The Bible’s message was seen as not only informative but salvific, and the monastic who memorized its words filled his or her soul with divine wisdom.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 July 2026
Historical questions remain, however, regarding whether such practices were primarily reserved for monastics or widely practiced among laypeople.

— Daniel M. Stuart, The Conversation, 16 Mar. 2026

Definition of monastic

Noun

Yes, those of us who are both excited and nervous about the promise of AI welcome the prospect of kings and clerics and populist politicians alike standing up to the tech lords — who, frankly, could use some perspectives other than their own.

— Clarence Page, Chicago Tribune, 19 Sep. 2026
Also figuring prominently in the proceedings is the cleric’s acolyte Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie, Jojo Rabbit), a fictional character representing the many women who took part in the movement.

— Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of cleric

Noun

The men were also ordered to return more than 300 million baht (about $9 million) to the hospice at Wat Phra Bat Namphu temple in the central province of Lopburi, where Alongkot had served as abbot.

— ABC News, ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026
The abbot eventually suspended the monk from his clerical duties a few months ago and the pair’s relationship worsened, per the outlet.

— Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of abbot

Noun

On April 18, 1049, the pope exempted a nunnery in Alsace – now in Sainte-Croix-en-Plaine, France – from the legal authority and supervision of the local bishop.

— Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026
Warren Jeffs then appointed Nephi Jeffs, another brother, as bishop.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 22 Sep. 2026

Definition of bishop

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friar

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“Friar.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/friar. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of friar

noun

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