Meanings
nounclergyman (plural clergymen)
plural clergymen
- A male member of a clergy; especially, an ordained (male) Christian minister.
Holonym: clergy
2 more examples
I think if post commanders of the unchaplained posts could employ acceptable clergymen […] then the needs might be met.
1883, United States. War Department, Annual Reports of the War Department, volume 1, page 128The king experienced his first attack in autumn 1788, and as his condition worsened and the physicians-in-ordinary proved unable to cope or cure, the Reverend Dr Francis Willis (1717–1807), a clergyman doctor who ran a madhouse in Lincolnshire, was called in.
1997, Roy Porter, The Greatest Benefit to Mankind, Folio Society, published 2016, page 263
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna male member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
Similar
Opposite
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Englishclergy
- Proto-Indo-European*mon-
- Proto-Germanic*mann-
- Proto-West Germanic*mann
- Old Englishmann
- Middle Englishman
- Englishclergyman
Translations
Ancient Greek κληρικός
- κληρικός (klērikós)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Arabic قِسِّيس, كَاهِن
- قِسِّيس (qissīs)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- كَاهِن (kāhin)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Bulgarian свещенослужи́тел, духо́вник
- свещенослужи́тел (sveštenoslužítel)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- духо́вник (duhóvnik)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- свеще́ник (svešténik)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Catalan clergue
- clergueordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Chinese Mandarin 牧師 /牧师
- 牧師 /牧师 (mùshī)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Czech duchovní
- duchovníordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Dutch geestelijke
- geestelijkeordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Esperanto pastro, virpastro
- pastroordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- virpastroordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- pastriĉoordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Finnish pappi
- pappiordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
French prêtre, clerc
- prêtreordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- clercordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
German Pfarrer, Pastor
- Pfarrerordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- Pastorordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- Klerikerordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- Geistlicherordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- Seelsorgerordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- Seelenhirtordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- Seelenhirteordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Greek κληρικός
- κληρικός (klirikós)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Hungarian pap, lelkész
- papordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- lelkészordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Indonesian klerus
- klerusordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Irish eaglaiseach
- eaglaiseachordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Italian chierico, prete
- chiericoordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- preteordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- sacerdoteordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- ecclesiasticoordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Japanese 牧師, 聖職者
- 牧師 (bokushi)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- 聖職者 (seishokusha)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Korean 성직자
- 성직자 (seongjikja)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Latin clericus, sacerdos
- clericusordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- sacerdosordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Polish duchowny, kleryk
- duchownyordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- klerykordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Portuguese clérigo
- clérigoordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Romanian cleric
- clericordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Russian священнослужи́тель, свяще́нник
- священнослужи́тель (svjaščennoslužítelʹ)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- свяще́нник (svjaščénnik)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- кли́рик (klírik)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Scottish Gaelic clèireach
- clèireachordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Slovak duchovný
- duchovnýordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Spanish clérigo, celebrero
- clérigoordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- celebreroordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Ukrainian священнослужи́тель, свяще́нник
- священнослужи́тель (svjaščennoslužýtelʹ)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- свяще́нник (svjaščénnyk)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- духівни́к (duxivnýk)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
- клі́рик (klíryk)ordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Vietnamese mục sư
- mục sưordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Welsh llenydd
- llenyddordained (male) Christian minister, male member of the clergy
Cite this entry
APA
clergyman. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clergyman
MLA
“clergyman.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clergyman. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clergyman,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clergyman.
Source: clergyman on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.