adjective / noun
monastic
muh-NAS-tik/məˈnæstɪk/
Relating to the secluded religious life of monks or nuns.
The nuns follow a monastic routine of prayer and quiet work.
Etymology
The Greek adjective joins the ideas of being solitary and belonging to a monk. Its religious sense concerns withdrawal from worldly life, which can be shared within a religious community.
In context
what defines monastic life for us is the separation from the world symbolized by the physical wall that we have around our monastery
More examples
- Each monastic spends part of the day in silent prayer.
- The abbey welcomes monastics from other religious communities.
- She studies the history of monastic life.
Forms
monastic · monastics
monasticism noun — The religious way of life of monastics.
Similar words
- cloistered
- Emphasizes enclosure or separation, especially within a religious community.
- ascetic
- Emphasizes strict self-denial rather than membership in a religious community.