How to Use celibacy in a Sentence

celibacy

noun
  • In my case, celibacy gives me a chance to explore being on my own.
    — Tessa Miller, The Cut, 28 Feb. 2018
  • And celibacy, as Christ was celibate.
    — Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
  • That's when Jen surprised Rishi with news of her celibacy change of heart.
    — Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Pope Francis did not have any children given his vow of celibacy.
    — Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 24 Apr. 2025
  • There is nothing wrong with choosing celibacy or living a celibate life.
    — Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 24 Feb. 2020
  • The Catholic Church has required celibacy from its priests for centuries.
    — Ashley Shaffer, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2019
  • But the biggest change was the easing of the celibacy requirement.
    — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2019
  • Other times, it's assumed to be a choice, like abstinence or celibacy.
    — Jenna Ryu, USA TODAY, 21 Feb. 2023
  • Back then, the supreme court had even said that the deity had the right to keep its vow of celibacy under right to privacy.
    — Ananya Bhattacharya, Quartz India, 6 June 2019
  • Sheen is one of a number of celebrities who have been open about going through periods of celibacy.
    — Brie Stimson, FOXNews.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • In this way, celibacy was part of the long tradition of all feminist practices.
    — Hazlitt, 11 June 2025
  • Will this heartbreak inspire Brad Pitt to renew his vow of celibacy?
    — Madeleine Aggeler, The Cut, 14 June 2018
  • Crawford doesn’t think there was anything so dramatic as a vow of celibacy, but the effect was much the same.
    — Christopher Tayler, Harper’s Magazine , 17 Aug. 2022
  • Febos spoke with Life Kit about the surprising gifts of celibacy.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 16 July 2025
  • Chastity, Sister Kate says, is not to be confused with celibacy.
    — Corrine Ciani, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2021
  • For example, perhaps the requirement of the celibacy of priests will fall.
    — Washington Post, 4 June 2020
  • Pope Francis says Church's thousand-year practice of celibacy may be changed.
    — Fox News Staff, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Gunn is in good company in the Hollywood celibacy club.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 23 Feb. 2026
  • That cannot happen with the continuance of the mandatory vow of celibacy.
    — WSJ, 25 Jan. 2019
  • And yet, for Sipe, the condition that fostered the abuse of minors, celibacy, remains in place.
    — Dan Rodricks, baltimoresun.com, 25 May 2017
  • Francis has made clear that the ideal of priestly celibacy will remain, but if it can be set aside in one region, that sets a precedent.
    — The Economist, 4 Oct. 2019
  • Pope Francis said the Catholic Church's thousand-year-old practice of celibacy could be changed.
    — Landon Mion, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2023
  • Pope Francis, for his part, hasn’t addressed the question of celibacy directly.
    — Paul Elie, The New Yorker, 2 Feb. 2020
  • The flouting of celibacy vows among African clergy is no secret to the Vatican.
    — San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Oct. 2019
  • Indeed, the church has tried to keep such children secret for centuries, because of the scandal of priests breaking their vows of celibacy.
    — Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2017
  • In the book, Sarah argued that lifting the celibacy requirement would not help such areas and instead would deprive them of true priests.
    — Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2020
  • Technically, as a man of the Catholic church, Wolsey should not have a wife or children in adherence to celibacy.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 9 Nov. 2020
  • The brothers take vows of celibacy, poverty and obedience to the gospel way of life that values simplicity, justice and care for the earth.
    — Aisha Salaudeen, Earl Nurse, and Alima Williams, CNN, 21 Nov. 2019
  • Release from the obligation of celibacy, which binds most priests and all bishops in the Catholic Church, is a separate step.
    — Francis X. Rocca, WSJ, 19 Nov. 2022
  • After witnessing that, Gregory made the decision to join the priesthood and took a vow of celibacy.
    — Michael Pollan, New Yorker, 19 May 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'celibacy.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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