What does "priestess" mean?
A woman with religious duties and responsibilities in certain religions.
Priestess
/ˈpristɪs/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A woman with religious duties and responsibilities in certain religions.
- Grammar: priestess is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: clergywoman, female priest, oracle priestess, prophetesses.
- Useful contrasts: laity, layperson, skeptic.
- Usage evidence: Kathy set about brightening her coworkers' day with fresh muffins when her demoniac alter ago, High Priestess Lilith, convinced her to poison them.
How to use "priestess"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "priestess" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "priestess" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "priestess" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "priestess" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "priestess" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "clergywoman" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "priestess", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A woman with religious duties and responsibilities in certain religions.
"Sir Knight, said she (whose looks, language, and gesture create strange thoughts within me) be pleased to know, that I am (I will not say the first) of those Ladies of Honour, who wait upon the high-born, illustrious, and refulgent Maulkina, Daughter to the high and mighty Prince Paraclet, Prince of No-Land, on the confines of whose Territories we now are, so it is that the Divine Maulkina having been a vowed Votaress to Diana (whose Priestess she was, and whose Oracles she exhibited) upon a night as she sat at the feet of the Image of that chaste Deity […]"
- 2 a woman priest wordnet
- 3 A female Christian priest or minister, typically in a Protestant, Old Catholic, or independent Catholic denomination. slur, uncommon
"The “extenuating circumstances” set forth by the Rev. Mr. Higgins certainly bring home not only the nature of Bishop Hall's problem but its cause; however, the problems of parish life under a deaconess are insignificant in comparison with the very grave issues raised by the ordination of a priestess."
- 4 A priest’s wife. colloquial, obsolete
"As ſoon as they were parted, the Prieſteſs flounced out of the Houſe, call'd for her Coachman, and bid him put in his Horſes, for away would ſhe go […]"
Verb
- 1 To oversee (a pagan ceremony, etc.) as priestess. transitive
"Ye Ye Ife, a gifted feminist ritualist and priestess of Oshun from San Diego, trained in the Yoruba tradition, designed and priestessed the ritual with me."
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Kathy set about brightening her coworkers' day with fresh muffins when her demoniac alter ago, High Priestess Lilith, convinced her to poison them."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "priestess"?
Common synonyms include: clergywoman, female priest, oracle priestess, prophetesses, prophetic priestess, ritual leader.
How do you use "priestess" in a sentence?
Kathy set about brightening her coworkers' day with fresh muffins when her demoniac alter ago, High Priestess Lilith, convinced her to poison them.
How do you pronounce "priestess"?
Pronounced /ˈpristɪs/.
Etymology
From priest + -ess. Compare Middle English preesteresse (“priestess”). Piecewise doublet of presbyteress.