nun

nun — noun

1. A woman who dedicates her life to God as part of a religious group, living in a

1.nounB1
Definition

A woman who dedicates her life to God as part of a religious group, living in a convent and focusing on prayer and service to others.

Example

Sister Adina spent forty years as a nun, teaching children at the village school.

nun + teaching as typical work

The old convent on the hill now has only three nuns, all in their eighties.

Common collocations
  • devout nun
  • elderly nun
  • young nun
  • Catholic nun
  • former nun
Synonyms
  • religious sister

    More formal term used within Catholic tradition; 'Sister' is also a title for a nun.

  • woman religious

    Formal, technical term covering nuns and sisters across Christian traditions.

Antonyms
  • monk

    Male counterpart who lives in a monastery rather than a convent.

Usage Note

Nun refers specifically to women in Christian religious orders, especially Catholic. The male equivalent is monk, and their home is called a convent or nunnery.

Common Mistakes

She became a monk after college.
She became a nun after college.
Monk refers to men in religious communities; nun refers to women.
I have nun left to eat.
I have none left to eat.
Nun and none sound the same but have completely different meanings.
The nuns live in a monastery.
The nuns live in a convent.
Monasteries are typically homes for monks; convents or nunneries are homes for nuns.

Word family

  • nunnery
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Nun is the most common and general term for a woman who has joined a Christian religious order, living in a convent and dedicating her life to prayer and service. Religious sister is a more formal term used within the Catholic Church, often referring to women in active service (teaching, nursing) rather than cloistered contemplative life — though in everyday use 'nun' covers both. Woman religious is a very formal, modern term found in official church documents and sociological writing; learners are unlikely to need it actively. Monk is the male counterpart, but monks typically live in monasteries and may have different daily routines. For example: 'My aunt became a nun at twenty-five' sounds natural, while 'My aunt became a religious sister at twenty-five' sounds oddly formal.

nun ↗religious sisterwoman religiousmonk ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • become a nun
  • join a community of nuns

Etymology

Late LatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word nun comes from Old English nunne, which was borrowed from Late Latin nonna, originally an affectionate term for an older woman or a nurse. By the early Middle Ages it had taken on its modern meaning of a woman in a religious order.