- of or relating to monasteries or monks, nuns, etc
- resembling this sort of life; reclusive
- a person who is committed to this way of life, esp a monk
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
mo•nas•tic /məˈnæstɪk/USA pronunciation
adj.
n. [countable]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026- Also, moˈnas•ti•cal.
- Religionof or relating to monks or monasteries:monastic vows.
n. [countable]
- Religiona member of a monastic community or order, esp. a monk.
mo•nas•tic
(mə nas′tik),USA pronunciation adj. Also, mo•nas′ti•cal.
n.
mo•nas′ti•cal•ly, adv.
- Religionof or pertaining to monasteries:a monastic library.
- Religionof, pertaining to, or characteristic of monks or nuns, their manner of life, or their religious obligations:monastic vows.
- of, pertaining to, or characteristic of a secluded, dedicated, or austere manner of living.
n.
- Religiona member of a monastic community or order, esp. a monk.
- Late Greek monastikós, equivalent. to monas- (verbid stem of monázein to be alone; see mon-) + -ikos -ic, with -t- by analogy with derivatives of agent nouns in -tēs (compare athlete, athletic)
- Late Latin monasticus
- late Middle English monastik 1400–50
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
monastic /məˈnæstɪk/ adj monastical
'monastic' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Angelico
- Athos
- Carthusian
- cellarer
- chapter
- cloister
- Fiesole
- Gregory VII
- Hildebrand
- hospice
- lector
- misericord
- monasticism
- monk
- oblate
- provost
- religieux
- religious
- scapular
- secular
- tonsure
- Basilian
- cell
- Changchun
- dom
- hermit
- Hiberno-Saxon
- minster
- monachal
- monkery
- obedience
- order
- prior
- regular