monastics

noun

plural of monastic
as in monks

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monastics
  1. monks
  2. mendicants
  3. clerics
Noun
  • Two monks sustained serious injuries, and one monk lost part of his leg as a result of the crash.
    — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Definition of monks
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
  • But those states also have Republican governors, who would have raised holy hell if their constituents had been menaced by these roving mobs of mendicants.
    — Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 28 Nov. 2025
Definition of mendicants
Noun
  • After six months of war, Iran’s leadership has coalesced around a hard core of military generals and clerics long entrenched in the ruling theocracy.
    — Lee Keath, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Iran's Assembly of Experts, a group of 88 clerics, picked the mid-ranking cleric with influence in the country's security forces and business networks to succeed his father, announcing the decision March 8.
    — Zac Anderson, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of clerics
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.

Browse Nearby Words

monasticism
monastics
monetary
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Cite this Entry

“Monastics.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monastics. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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