MONSIGNOR Synonyms: 58 Similar and Opposite Words

monsignor

noun

Definition of monsignor

as in prelate

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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 monsignor This time around, the monsignor of a small-town church is found dead under mysterious circumstances, and Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) is summoned to investigate. — Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026 This go around, Blanc (Daniel Craig) descends on an upstate New York town to solve the murder of a domineering and hate-spewing monsignor (Brolin). — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 29 Nov. 2025 Narratively, Daniel Craig’s returning lead Benoit Blanc takes a back pew to the conflict between a sensitive priest and a malignant monsignor who has turned away from Jesus’ teachings. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2026 Throughout his work, the monsignor has served numerous parishes and schools across the local archdiocese, including Our Lady’s in Scituate, Our Lady of the Assumption in Lynnfield and Saint Peter Parish in Cambridge, and became rector of the Cathedral in 2008. — Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald, 26 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for monsignor

Recent Examples of Synonyms for monsignor

Noun

The group was founded in 1970 in Switzerland by Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre, a French prelate, but five years later was officially suppressed by the Bishop of Fribourg.

— Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 30 June 2026
In roughly 33 hours over the course of two days, the diverse group of international prelates elected Prevost on the fourth ballot.

— Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026

Definition of prelate

Noun

The American pope has prioritized church unity and healing tensions with traditionalists that worsened during the Pope Francis pontificate.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
In Catholic teaching, the link, or communion, between bishops and the pope is a cornerstone of the church’s unity.

— Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 30 June 2026

Definition of pope

Noun

Ian Williamson, dean of the business school, said the new federal policy played a role in the decision as well as student scheduling preferences.

— Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
But Erwin Chemerinsky, Berkeley’s law school dean, said Trump still won most of the cases the court decided either after oral arguments or through emergency appeals the administration brought.

— Maureen Groppe, USA Today, 3 July 2026

Definition of dean

Noun

The ritual confers the Holy Spirit from one bishop to another and recalls Christ’s gesture to his apostles.

— Jamey Keaten, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
Under the church’s in-house canon law, consecrating a bishop without papal consent incurs an automatic excommunication for both the people administering the consecration and the bishops receiving it.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026

Definition of bishop

Noun

William Warham, the archbishop of Canterbury, called for more copies to be bought up and burned.

— Michael Bruening, The Conversation, 30 June 2026
The diocese's parishes, schools, and other entities are not included in the filing and their operation should not be affected, the archbishop said.

— CBS News, CBS News, 29 June 2026

Definition of archbishop

Noun

This would be the case also for an apostate, heretic, schismatic bishop, presbyter, or deacon.

— Fr. Goran Jovicic, National Review, 13 June 2021
Before coming to Birmingham, Webster had served 18 years as executive presbyter of the Presbytery of Sierra Blanca in southern New Mexico.

— Greg Garrison, AL.com, 19 July 2017

Definition of presbyter

Noun

The first is the strikingly Gothic diocesan throne, which sits in the cathedral choir and dates from the Victorian era.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026
The diocesan website includes a statement from Dallas Bishop Edward Burns connecting the need for social distancing with the story of the Good Samaritan.

— David Tarrant, Dallas News, 6 Apr. 2020

Definition of diocesan

Noun

The court found that Shi used his positions, including as the temple abbot, to illegally embezzle more than $19 million alone or in conspiracy with others, between 2003 and 2025, CCTV reported.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
According to a relative of Nathan who provided some of the sources Amit studied, the abbot reportedly also wrote letters to the Vatican and to monasteries in Switzerland pleading for a safe exit for Wolfgang.

— Jackie Hajdenberg, Sun Sentinel, 21 Apr. 2026

Definition of abbot

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monsignor

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“Monsignor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/monsignor. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of monsignor

noun

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