monk

monk — noun

1. A man who chooses to devote his life to his religion, typically living in a reli

1.nounB1
Definition

A man who chooses to devote his life to his religion, typically living in a religious community with other men and following rules that include not marrying and not owning personal belongings.

Example

An elderly monk at the temple near Jabari's home teaches village children to read.

monk + at + temple: locational collocation

Romi spoke with a Buddhist monk during her trip to Thailand and learned about meditation.

Buddhist monk: common modifier pairing

Common collocations
  • Buddhist monk
  • Zen monk
  • Christian monk
  • become a monk
  • elderly monk
  • monk's robe
  • monk's cell
  • live as a monk
Synonyms
  • friar

    Similar to a monk, but friars typically live and work among the general public rather than inside a monastery.

  • brother

    Often used as a title or form of address for a monk in Christian traditions; less specific than 'monk'.

  • religious

    A formal, general term covering both monks and nuns; more common in official or theological language.

Antonyms
  • nun

    Female equivalent — a woman who lives in a religious community under similar vows.

Usage Note

Distinguish from priest (who typically leads worship within a community and may marry, depending on the tradition) and from friar (who lives among the general public rather than in a monastery). The female equivalent is a nun.

Common Mistakes

The monk married his girlfriend last year.
The monk took a vow not to marry.
Monks in most traditions take vows of celibacy and do not marry.
Idioms

Thelonious Monk

idiom

Not a true idiom. This is a biographical reference to Thelonious Sphere Monk (1920–1982), an American jazz pianist and composer known for his unique improvisational style and iconic compositions such as "Round Midnight" and "Blue Monk." Learners may encounter his surname "Monk" in the context of jazz music history.

The jazz teacher played Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" for the class and asked them to describe the mood.

Bao's favourite piece by Thelonious Monk is "Blue Monk" because of its unusual rhythm.

Word family

  • monastic
    adjectiveC1
  • monasticism
    nounC1
  • monkish
    adjectiveC2
  • monastery
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Monk, friar, hermit, nun, and priest all describe people devoted to religious life, but their lifestyles differ. A monk lives in a monastery as part of a community, following vows of poverty and celibacy. A friar also takes religious vows but works among ordinary people rather than staying in a monastery. A hermit lives alone in isolation, often without formal vows or community ties. A nun is the female equivalent of a monk, living in a convent under similar vows. A priest leads religious ceremonies and may belong to a church within a community; unlike most monks, priests in some traditions may marry. For example: "The Franciscan friar walked through the city helping the poor, while the monk remained at the monastery in prayer."

monk ↗friarhermitnun ↗priest ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • monk's robe
  • monk's cell
  • monk's vow
  • monk's life

Prepositions

  • monk at [monastery/temple]
  • monk from [tradition/region]
  • monk in [order/community]

Etymology

GreekLatinOld EnglishEnglish

The word monk comes from the Greek word monachos, meaning 'solitary' or 'alone,' referring to early Christian hermits who lived alone in the desert. It passed into Latin as monachus, then into Old English as munuc before becoming the modern English monk.