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cleric

American  
[kler-ik] / ˈklɛr ɪk /

noun

  1. a member of the clergy.

  2. a member of a clerical party.

  3. (used with a plural verb) clerics, half-sized or small-sized reading glasses worn on the nose, usually rimless or with a thin metal frame.

adjective

  1. pertaining to the clergy; clerical.

cleric British  
/ ˈklɛrɪk /

noun

  1. a member of the clergy

"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

Etymology

Origin of cleric

1615–25; < Late Latin clēricus priest < Greek klērikós, equivalent to klêr ( os ) lot, allotment + -ikos -ic

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.

Before Khomenei, respected Shiite clerics had shunned the idea of clerical rule.

From The Wall Street Journal

He studied Islamic jurisprudence under several high-ranking clerics, including Khamenei, and held various senior posts in the ministry of intelligence and Office of the Supreme Leader.

From BBC

He has for decades operated in the shadows, without appearing in the media or releasing Islamic sermons to the public, despite his purported status as a learned cleric.

From The Wall Street Journal

Iran's government, run by Shia Muslim clerics, has voiced defiance.

From Barron's

The supreme leader must also be a mujtahid, a cleric qualified to issue religious rulings.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.