churchlike

[ church-lahyk ]

adjective

1. resembling or appropriate to a church:

   churchlike silence.

Word History and Origins

Origin of churchlike¹

First recorded in 1585–95; church + -like

Example Sentences

She led a reverent 11,000-person crowd — a sizable leap from the theaters she played on her first tour — in singalongs that were churchlike and raucous, but never rowdy.

From New York Times

Chiefs fans know how to weaponize noise, quieting to a churchlike hush when the team’s great quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, calls signals but then, when opponents have the ball, unleashing a howl that can even drown out the sound of the play call crackling through the speaker inside the rival quarterback’s helmet.

From New York Times

The market’s churchlike, arched brick entrance, through which an estimated 45,000 visitors flow each Saturday to find produce, meat, baked goods, jams, honey, cheeses, spices, plants and flowers, is unmissable.

From New York Times

Ranging from spiritual meditations in fantasy worlds to traditional Christian worship services with virtual sacraments in hyperrealistic, churchlike environments, their devotees say the experience offers a version of fellowship that’s just as genuine as what can be found at a brick-and-mortar temple.

From Seattle Times

He wrote a simple, hymn-like theme for Kidd, whom Howard saw as “a good man who’s searching for restitution. He’s carrying with him some part of his life that he performed where he didn’t rise to the occasion and feels incredibly guilty and wounded and hurt. And the way he delivers the news, which is in a very kind of quiet voice in a darkened room with candles — it felt almost churchlike to me, and he felt like a bit of a minister.”

From Los Angeles Times