nunnery

noun

nun·​nery ˈnə-nə-rē How to pronounce nunnery (audio)
ˈnən-rə-
plural nunneries
Synonyms of nunnerynext
: a convent of nuns

Examples of nunnery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The festival, working with Royal Enfield Social Mission, is also completing 24 community screenings around Kangra this year, at venues that have included schools, nunneries and the district jail. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 29 Oct. 2026 Convent Square Hotel opened in August in an 800-year-old cloister, part of a nunnery attached to the 13th-century church of São Domingo next door. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 On April 18, 1049, the pope exempted a nunnery in Alsace – now in Sainte-Croix-en-Plaine, France – from the legal authority and supervision of the local bishop. — Joëlle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 5 Oct. 2026 At the heart of the story is Daniel (Josh O’Connor), a cybersecurity whistleblower, and his girlfriend, Jane (Eve Hewson), a former novice in a nunnery. — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 14 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for nunnery

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of nunnery was in the 14th century

Rhymes for nunnery

See All Rhymes for nunnery

Browse Nearby Words

nunnari
nunnery
nunni
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Nunnery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nunnery. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

nunnery

noun
nun·​nery ˈnən-(ə-)rē How to pronounce nunnery (audio)
plural nunneries
: a convent of nuns

More from Merriam-Webster on nunnery

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nunnery

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Pyrrhic

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Pwn, Skibidi, Girlboss and Other Words Added to the 2026 Scrabble Dictionary

The Words of the Week - Oct. 30

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
couple-laugh-cafe
Quiz: Foreign Phrases You Should Know Check out your bona fides and avoid any faux pas.
See All