PASTOR Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

pastor

noun

Definition of pastor

as in rector

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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 pastor The board brought in Pam Muise, a pastor who knew Miller as a child, to help preach some sermons. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2026 Their nuptials were attended only by the pastor Don Duvall, his wife, and Parton’s mother, Avie Lee Owens. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026 Two years later, she and the private businessman secretly got married at a church with just her mom, a pastor, and his wife in attendance after her former manager voiced his concerns that a wedding would be bad for her career. — Lara Walsh, InStyle, 26 Aug. 2026 Outside of Ada County, at least three people were charged under the law before Cox, including a Nampa pastor. — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 26 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for pastor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastor

Noun

Pernkopf was a Nazi functionary who became dean of the medical faculty in 1938 and rector of the university in 1943.

— Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
The Rectory As the name suggests, The Rectory was originally home to the rector of nearby All Saints’ Church and his 14 children.

— Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 13 June 2026

Definition of rector

Noun

Such details include McCartney’s bare feet and opposite stride and the other members’ attire (Lennon’s white supposedly represents a clergyman, Starr’s black a mourner, and Harrison’s denim a gravedigger).

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 July 2026
Robin, our hero, is the son of a country clergyman.

— John Swansburg, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026

Definition of clergyman

Noun

The couple were married by a female vicar, per the Daily Mail.

— Natasha Dye, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
Nearly every murder is solved by the end of the episode, but despite the unusual twist of having the village vicar team up with the police, the real action comes from the relationships among the characters.

— Pat Saperstein, Variety, 14 June 2026

Definition of vicar

Noun

This one stars Cox himself as a mysterious and formidable old man in an undertaker’s suit and parson’s hat who wanders into an Arizona border town in 1890 to gather the names of dead Mexican laborers.

— Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 15 Aug. 2026
And what does the old man who sleeps by the fire know about the dead parson?

— Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2026

Definition of parson

Noun

Meanwhile, churchmen claimed the authority to restrain violence, encouraged just wars and threatened violent behaviors with spiritual sanctions.

— Joëlle Rollo-Koster, Fortune, 15 Apr. 2026
Not all birth rituals depended on the intercession of a saint or the authority of a churchman.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026

Definition of churchman

Noun

Man of books and learning Several of the videos show Athanasius of Alexandria, a fourth-century bishop and theologian traditionally considered one of the church fathers.

— Denva Gallant, The Conversation, 8 July 2026
Juan José Gerardi Conedera (born December 27, 1922, Guatemala City, Guatemala—killed April 26, 1998, Guatemala City) was a Guatemalan Roman Catholic bishop and human rights activist.

— Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 July 2026

Definition of bishop

Noun

The Mexican fan palm, supposedly brought here by the mission-building padres to supply Palm Sunday foliage, can grow taller, maybe 10 stories, and skinnier, and can dip and sway camera-readily in the wind.

— Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 20 Feb. 2025
The group has since evolved to the comité de padres and grown to roughly 30 mothers.

— Mathew Miranda, Sacramento Bee, 18 Apr. 2024

Definition of padre

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past masters

pastor

pastoral

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“Pastor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastor. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of pastor

noun

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