episcopal

adjective

Definition of episcopalnext
as in papal

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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 episcopal After returning to the United States, Novakovic attended an Episcopal boarding school in San Antonio, Texas. — Byrachel Cole, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 May 2026 On New Year’s Eve in 1996, Christou followed Deadbeat with a club at a former Episcopal church that was built in 1865. — Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026 Jackson is an Episcopal priest, theological educator and former Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida executive. — Beth Reese Cravey, Florida Times-Union, 6 Feb. 2026 After a water line at the temple breaks, members celebrate Hanukkah at an Episcopal church. — Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 13 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for episcopal
Recent Examples of Synonyms for episcopal
  1. papal
  2. apostolic
  3. clerical
  4. ministerial
  5. priestly
  6. pontifical
  7. sacerdotal
  8. evangelical
Adjective
  • The group formed after students went viral for holding a mock papal election in their classroom.
    — Darius Johnson, CBS News, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Church officials in Argentina, the homeland of Leo's predecessor Pope Francis, urged parishioners to put the pontiff's well-being ahead of their excitement over the country’s first papal visit in four decades.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of papal
Adjective
  • On June 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II set out from Rome on an apostolic journey, as papal trips away from the Vatican are called.
    — Paul Elie, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
  • The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Definition of apostolic
Adjective
  • By the 1980s, England was beginning its turn away from churchgoing as a cornerstone of society, so nothing as extroverted or nakedly clerical as gospel choirs would fit a downcast, monochromatic land anyhow.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Rubio said the inclusive presentation was in keeping with the effort, begun by Pope Francis, to make the church less clerical and more reflective of the real world.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
Definition of clerical
Adjective
  • Reuters said a ministerial meeting of the International Energy Forum is also set to take place, with its plenary session to be held behind closed doors.
    — Azhar Sukri,Terri Cullen, CNBC, 11 Oct. 2026
  • Rodan-Benzaquen said the anger reflected years of educational instability, frequent ministerial changes and reforms that have failed to resolve persistent school problems.
    — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of ministerial
Adjective
  • The Illinois native returned to his priestly roots with his last TV appearance as Father Tobias on the daytime soap opera Days of Our Lives.
    — Rachel Flynn, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Parsi priesthood is hereditary, meaning all the boys here have been born into priestly families.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
Definition of priestly
Adjective
  • In another decree published Monday, Leo canceled Francis’ plans to move some of the Vatican’s secret archives and library holdings out of the city state and onto the grounds of a pontifical university across town.
    — Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Leo opened his visit to Pompeii by meeting with sick and disabled people who are cared for by a charity center affiliated with the sanctuary, which Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, declared a pontifical basilica in 1901.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
Definition of pontifical
Adjective
  • Prosperity is lauded dozens of times in the Book of Mormon, so knocking for commissions can feel almost sacerdotal.
    — Tad Friend, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022
  • Diminution drains this office of the sacerdotal pomposities that have encrusted it.
    — Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 1 Aug. 2017
Definition of sacerdotal
Adjective
  • Over the past several decades, however, a growing percentage of people in Latin America, long a Catholic stronghold, have been embracing evangelical churches.
    — Johanna Bard Richlin, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Wisely, our Fathers chose a secular people-friendly format not subject to papal or evangelical or ayatollah decree.
    — Letters to the Editor, The Orlando Sentinel, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of evangelical

Browse Nearby Words

epilogues
episcopal
episcopate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

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

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