variants
or ancress
as in prioress
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 anchoress
In the medieval church, women’s roles were limited – usually some form of enclosure and celibacy, such as becoming an anchoress walled up alone for life, or a nun in a classic convent.
—
Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
Louise, a former anchoress, is her humble, tyrannical maid.
—Hervé Guibert, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
Joelle Rollo-Koster, The Conversation, 25 Feb. 2025
Louise, a former anchoress, is her humble, tyrannical maid.
—Hervé Guibert, Harper's Magazine, 2 Nov. 2024
Some of the spotlighted individuals, like St. Catherine of Siena and English anchoress Julian of Norwich, were celebrated in their day as visionaries, while others, including Kempe and Joan of Arc, were persecuted as heretics.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for anchoress
Noun
-
In response, the diocese said in a statement that the Holy See has acted toward healing the Arlington Carmel and the nuns in the community and not simply the former prioress and her former councilors.—
Elizabeth Campbell,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
21 Apr. 2024
-
Matrix by Lauren Groff Currents of violence and devotion coalesce around Marie de France, a 17-year-old sent to be the new prioress of a 12th-century English abbey.—
Mia Barzilay Freund,
Vogue,
29 Mar. 2024
Noun
-
When the abbess died in 866, she was buried in the abbey church.—
Moira Ritter,
Miami Herald,
22 Feb. 2024
-
That makes the abbess a likely candidate for the author of the inscription and marginal doodles.—
Ron Amadeo,
Ars Technica,
21 Feb. 2023
Noun
-
The video, which features scruffy cartoons, including a tech-obsessed nun, exploded.—
thehustle.co,
thehustle.co,
21 Mar. 2025
-
Warhol’s mass production techniques, riffs on commercial images and ironic takes on consumer culture intersected with art created by Kent, a Catholic nun who took the name Sister Mary Corita.—
R. Daniel Foster,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Every morning, the monks gathered there, arranging themselves on the long stone benches, to discuss the matters of the day.—
Amanda Petrusich,
The New Yorker,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Unlike a synod of bishops, this will be a unique gathering of bishops, clergy, monks, friars, nuns and lay men and women.—
Christopher Lamb,
CNN,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
While the Thai Buddhism depicted in The White Lotus is not completely realistic, there are several authentic ways to engage deeply with Buddhism, ranging from offering donations to short meditation retreats to ordination as a monastic.—
Brooke Schedneck,
The Conversation,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Buddhist organizations, whose members are also known to skew older, have been trying to connect with younger people by updating the image of monastics, usually known for their no-nonsense asceticism.—
Koh Ewe,
TIME,
13 May 2024
Noun
-
To get in touch with the miraculous Francis, the folkloric Francis, read the Fioretti, or The Little Flowers of St. Francis, a 14th-century collection of tales about the saint and his friars.—
James Parker,
The Atlantic,
10 Jan. 2025
-
She will be expected to support communities including monks, nuns, and friars who live according to specific spiritual rules such as Benedictines and Franciscans.—
Kevin Lynn,
Newsweek,
6 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
In manufacturing, experienced operators can detect potential equipment failures through subtle changes in vibration or sound that novices might overlook.—
Rajesh Rajagopalan,
Forbes.com,
27 Mar. 2025
-
Of course, novice physicians may face similar difficulties.—
Spencer Dorn,
Forbes,
18 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But the fate of the votary is to require and receive a constant renewal of faith.—
Jeff Weiss,
Spin,
21 Aug. 2023
-
Many remember the Cultural Revolution as a time of Red Guard excess—of the people terrorizing the votaries of the party.—
Mary Gallagher,
Foreign Affairs,
20 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Anchoress.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/anchoress. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share