minister

noun

(government) A politician who heads a ministry

(Protestantism) A person who is trained to preach, to perform religious ceremonies, and to afford pastoral care at a Protestant church.

(Roman Catholicism) A person (either a layperson or an ordained clergy member) who is commissioned to perform some act on behalf of the Catholic Church.

In diplomacy, the rank of diplomat directly below ambassador.

A servant; a subordinate; an officer or assistant of inferior rank; hence, an agent, an instrument.

verb

(intransitive, used with "to") To attend to (the needs of); to tend; to take care (of); to give aid; to give service.

(intransitive) To function as a clergyman or as the officiant in church worship.

(transitive, archaic) To afford, to give, to supply.

Roots

minusminister- · Latin · less

Synonyms for minister

pastorn rectorn curaten undersecretaryn parsonn secretaryn chancellorn clergymann commissionern reverendn clergywoman ambassadorn commissarn

Synonyms & related words for minister

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of minister — including pastor, rector, curate, undersecretary, parson, secretary. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to minister

Explore words related to minister — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include predikant, ministry, ministerial, ministerially, frontbencher, deputy, minster, secretaryship. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for minister

Common synonyms for minister include pastor, rector, curate, undersecretary, parson, secretary, chancellor, clergyman — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does minister come from?

The word minister breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root minister-, from Latin minus (“less”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.