Synonyms and antonyms of People in authority in the Christian church in American Thesaurus

abbess (noun)

a woman who is in charge of a convent (=a religious community of women)

abbot (noun)

a man who is in charge of an abbey

archbishop (noun)

a priest of the highest rank in some Christian churches who is responsible for all the churches in a particular area

the Archbishop of Canterbury ()

the most senior priest in the Church of England

archbishopric (noun)

the rank of archbishop

archdeacon (noun)

a priest of a high rank in the Anglican Church whose job is to help a bishop

bishop (noun)

a Christian priest with a senior position who is responsible for all the churches in a particular area

bishopric (noun)

the job of a bishop

canon (noun)

a Christian priest who works in a cathedral

cardinal (noun)

a priest with a very senior position in the Roman Catholic Church, below that of the Pope

chaplain (noun)

a Christian priest or minister who works in an institution such as a school or a hospital, or in the army

chaplaincy (noun)

the job of a chaplain, or the place where a chaplain works

chapter (noun)

all the priests who belong to a cathedral

churchman (noun)

a man who is a priest, minister, bishop, etc.

churchwarden (noun)

someone who takes care of the property and money of a church

clergy (noun)

the people who lead religious services, especially Christian priests. A man who leads religious services is sometimes called a clergyman and a woman who leads religious services is sometimes called a clergywoman

cleric (noun)

formalold-fashioned a member of the clergy

clerical (adjective)

relating to priests

the cloth (noun)

mainly literary Christian priests and ministers considered as a group

curate (noun)

an Anglican priest who helps a more senior priest

deacon (noun)

someone with a position just below that of a priest in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox churches

deacon (noun)

someone whose job is to help a minister (=a priest) in some Protestant churches

deaconess (noun)

a woman with a position just below that of a priest in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox churches

dean (noun)

a senior Christian priest in a cathedral or other important church

Dominican (noun)

a priest, monk, or nun who belongs to a Christian religious group started by St. Dominic

ecclesiastic (noun)

formal a Christian priest, minister, etc.

elder (noun)

a member of a Christian church or other religious organization who is not a priest but who is in a position of authority

eminence (noun)

formal used for referring to a cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church

episcopacy (noun)

the bishops of a church

episcopal (adjective)

relating to bishops

Father (noun)

used for talking to or about a priest, especially a Roman Catholic priest

Fr. (abbreviation)

Father: used before the name of a priest

high priest (noun)

the most important or powerful priest

high priestess (noun)

the most important or powerful female priest

the Holy See (formal)

formal the Pope and the officials who work for him at the Vatican

the Inquisition ()

the organization that tried to find and punish people who did not agree with the Roman Catholic Church, especially from the 15th to the 17th centuries. The Inquisition used very cruel methods that sometimes killed people.

inquisitor (noun)

a member of the Inquisition

Jesuit (noun)

a priest who belongs to a Christian religious organization called the Society of Jesus that was started in 1534

legate (noun)

an official representative, especially of a pope (=the leader of the Roman Catholic Church) or a government, who is sent to a foreign country

man of God (noun)

formal a priest or minister

man of the cloth (noun)

formal a priest or minister

Mgr. (abbreviation)

Monsignor

minister (noun)

in some Protestant churches, someone whose job is to lead worship and perform other duties

ministry (noun)

the period of time when someone is a church minister

the ministry (noun)

the profession or work of a church minister

the ministry (noun)

church ministers considered as a group

moderator (noun)

a senior religious leader in a Protestant church

Monsignor (noun)

a way of talking to or about a priest of high rank in the Roman Catholic Church

Mother Superior (noun)

a woman who is in charge of a convent

Mother Teresa ()

a nun (=a woman who is a member of a religious community) who took care of poor and sick people in Calcutta, India

Msgr. (abbreviation)

Monsignor

nuncio (noun)

an official representative of the Pope (=the leader of the Roman Catholic Church) in a foreign country

order (noun)

the rank of a priest or minister

padre (noun)

a priest who performs religious services in the military

parson (noun)

old-fashioned a priest or minister in charge of a parish (=a small area)

pastor (noun)

a priest or minister in some Christian churches

pastoral (adjective)

relating to the work that a priest or other religious leader does to help and advise people

patriarch (noun)

a religious leader in one of the Orthodox Christian churches

pontiff (noun)

formal the Pope

Pope (noun)

the leader of the Roman Catholic Church

preacher (noun)

someone whose job is to give religious speeches or to lead religious ceremonies in some Christian churches

predikant (noun)

a priest in the Dutch Protestant Church in South Africa

prelate (noun)

an official of high rank in the Christian Church such as a bishop or a cardinal

priest (noun)

someone whose job is to lead worship and perform other duties and ceremonies in some Christian churches

priesthood (noun)

all the priests of a particular religion or country

the priesthood (noun)

the work and responsibility of being a priest

priestly (adjective)

relating to the life and work of a priest

primate (noun)

the name in some religions or churches for a priest of the highest rank in a particular region or country

prior (noun)

a man who is in charge of a priory

prioress (noun)

a woman who is in charge of a priory

provost (noun)

the priest in charge of a cathedral

rector (noun)

a priest in an Anglican church, who in the past was paid directly by the people in his parish

Rev. (abbreviation)

Reverend

Reverend (noun)

a title used for some Christian priests and ministers

Reverend Mother (noun)

a title used for a Mother Superior in charge of a convent (=a religious group of women) in the Christian Church

sexton (noun)

someone whose job is to take care of a church and the buildings connected with it

S.J. (abbreviation)

Society of Jesus: written after the name of a priest who is a Jesuit

suffragan (noun)

a bishop who is chosen to help another bishop with a higher rank

vicar (noun)

a priest in the U.S. Episcopal Church

vicar (noun)

a priest in the Church of England