anchoress

noun

variants or ancress
Definition of anchoressnext
as in prioress

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Example Sentences

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 anchoress In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent. — Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anchoress
  1. prioress
  2. abbess
  3. religious
  4. nun
  5. monk
  6. monastic
  7. friar
  8. novice
Noun
  • The slow-burn thriller is partially based on a 17th century ballad in which the heroic outlaw’s cousin, a malevolent prioress, bleeds the older, ailing Robin to death under the guise of the ancient medical treatment known as bloodletting.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 22 June 2026
  • After Robin is gravely injured, he is taken in by the sage prioress Brigid (Jodie Comer), who nurses him back to health at an island convent.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 June 2026
Definition of prioress
Noun
  • Hildegard was a Catholic abbess of the Benedictine Order.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
  • Now, thanks to a greater emphasis on women’s education in recent years, Tibetan Buddhist nuns are increasingly becoming teachers and abbesses.
    — Darcie Price-Wallace, The Conversation, 26 Sep. 2025
Definition of abbess
Noun
  • As a young religious, Bishop-elect Lombardo did missionary work in Bolivia and Honduras.
    — Laura Rodríguez Presa, chicagotribune.com, 11 Sep. 2020
Definition of religious
Noun
  • The passage concerned the confession of the nun whose rape the detective investigates.
    — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 14 Oct. 2026
  • But points must be taken off for thinking a lesbian nun would only have gotten laid as a layperson.
    — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2026
Definition of nun
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
  • 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
  • The hotel works with a local Franciscan friar from Ravello, Friar Marcus, to introduce interested guests to the chapel, or whisk them on tours of Ravello, his local parish (and the home of Villas Cimbrone and Rufolo).
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The analysis was specifically requested by the viceroy of New Spain as a test of the friar’s scientific expertise.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of friar
Noun
  • To capture some of that essence, Guitar Center is trying to make its stores a place to hang out for novices and pros alike.
    — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026
  • In the latest, The Big Cats Dance Party, a high-profile case falls to a novice sleuth while the agency’s founder is away.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of novice

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anchoress
anchoresses
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Cite this Entry

“Anchoress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchoress. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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