Download the app
educalingo
Search
Marriage may often be a stormy lake, but celibacy is almost always a muddy horse pond.
Thomas Love Peacock

Meaning of "celibacy" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
section

PRONUNCIATION OF CELIBACY

celibacy  [ˈsɛlɪbəsɪ] play
facebooktwitterpinterestwhatsapp

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF CELIBACY

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Celibacy is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES CELIBACY MEAN IN ENGLISH?

celibacy

Celibacy

Celibacy is voluntarily being unmarried, sexually abstinent or both, usually for religious reasons. It is often in association with the role of a religious official or devotee. In its narrow sense, the term celibacy is applied only to those for whom the unmarried state is the result of a sacred vow, act of renunciation, or religious conviction. In a wider sense, it is commonly understood to only mean abstinence from sexual activity. Celibacy has existed in one form or another throughout history, in virtually all the major religions of the world, and views on it have varied. Ancient Judaism was strongly opposed to celibacy. Similarly, the Romans viewed it as an aberration and legislated fiscal penalties against it, with the sole exception granted to the Vestal Virgins. Christians in the Middle Ages and in particularly Catholics believed that celibacy was a prerequisite for religious office. Protestantism saw a reversal of this trend in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church never adopted it. The Islamic attitudes toward celibacy have been complex as well; Muhammad denounced it, but some Sufi orders embrace it.

Definition of celibacy in the English dictionary

The definition of celibacy in the dictionary is the state of being celibate. Other definition of celibacy is abstention from sexual intercourse.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH CELIBACY


abbacy
ˈæbəsɪ
accuracy
ˈækjʊrəsɪ
advocacy
ˈædvəkəsɪ
ambassy
ˈæmbəsɪ
conspiracy
kənˈspɪrəsɪ
democracy
dɪˈmɒkrəsɪ
diplomacy
dɪˈpləʊməsɪ
ecstasy
ˈɛkstəsɪ
efficacy
ˈɛfɪkəsɪ
embassy
ˈɛmbəsɪ
fantasy
ˈfæntəsɪ
intimacy
ˈɪntɪməsɪ
legacy
ˈlɛɡəsɪ
literacy
ˈlɪtərəsɪ
pharmacy
ˈfɑːməsɪ
piracy
ˈpaɪrəsɪ
privacy
ˈpraɪvəsɪ
reprobacy
ˈrɛprəbəsɪ
supremacy
sʊˈprɛməsɪ
Varanasi
vəˈrɑːnəsɪ

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE CELIBACY

celestial latitude
celestial longitude
celestial mechanics
celestial navigation
celestial pole
celestial sphere
celestially
celestine
celestite
celiac
celibatarian
celibate
celibatic
cell
cell biology
cell culture
cell cycle
cell division
cell line
cell lineage

WORDS THAT END LIKE CELIBACY

adequacy
aristocracy
bureaucracy
candidacy
confederacy
curacy
delicacy
fallacy
illegitimacy
illiteracy
inaccuracy
inadequacy
indeterminacy
lacy
legitimacy
lunacy
numeracy
primacy
racy
Tracy

Synonyms and antonyms of celibacy in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «CELIBACY»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «celibacy» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of celibacy

Translation of «celibacy» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF CELIBACY

Find out the translation of celibacy to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of celibacy from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «celibacy» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

独身
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

celibato
570 millions of speakers

English

celibacy
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

ब्रह्मचर्य
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

العزوبة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

безбрачие
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

celibato
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

কৌমার্য
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

célibat
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Celibacy
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Zölibat
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

独身主義
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

독신
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Celibacy
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

cảnh độc thân
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

பிரம்மச்சரியத்தை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

ब्रह्मचर्य
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

bekârlık
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

celibato
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

celibat
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

безшлюбність
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

celibat
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

αγαμία
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

selibaatheid
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

celibat
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

sølibat
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of celibacy

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «CELIBACY»

The term «celibacy» is regularly used and occupies the 76.503 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Regularly used
65
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «celibacy» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of celibacy
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «celibacy».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «CELIBACY» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «celibacy» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «celibacy» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about celibacy

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «CELIBACY»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word celibacy.
1
William P. Leahy
The church may hold whatever it holds with regard to clerical celibacy.
2
LisaRaye McCoy-Misick
I've tried everything but celibacy, and I really want to know what it feels like to be touched by someone with a mental touch and not a physical touch.
3
Vincent Nichols
You know, in some ways, the celibacy tradition goes back to the tribe of Levi and, certainly, sacrifice and the notion of sacrifice. In the Old Testament, the shedding of blood was for a man to perform. It was not for the woman, who gave life.
4
Pope John Paul II
The vow of celibacy is a matter of keeping one's word to Christ and the Church. a duty and a proof of the priest's inner maturity; it is the expression of his personal dignity.
5
Thomas Love Peacock
Marriage may often be a stormy lake, but celibacy is almost always a muddy horse pond.
6
Timothy Radcliffe
Celibacy is not just a matter of not having sex. It is a way of admiring a person for their humanity, maybe even for their beauty.
7
Robert Rainy
For the standard of Christian life was to be strained to a higher pitch; more fasting was required, and more careful separation from the manners and enjoyments of the world; celibacy and martyrdom had great value set upon them, and second marriages were prohibited.
8
Gene Robinson
The truly longstanding tradition in the church is that some are called to celibacy. Some feel called to it. But the church has never supported that celibacy be mandated for someone not called to it. It's never imposed on someone.
9
Peter De Vries
Celibacy is the worst form of self-abuse.
10
Jessica White
When you really see how much God loves you, there's no greater love than that, and I had to match that amount of love He had for me, which is the reason why I decided to take a vow of celibacy.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «CELIBACY»

Discover the use of celibacy in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to celibacy and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
A History of Celibacy
Written from a feminist perspective, the book paints a dual portrait of celibacy as both emancipator and enslaver of women and the poor. Yet the book's focus is not solely on women.
Elizabeth Abbott, 2001
2
Women, Passion & Celibacy
Shows how women can learn to take risks, grow up, make decisions, live on her own, and value other women through celibacy, calling for a celebration of non-genital sexuality. 15,000 first printing.
Sally Cline, 1993
3
Freeing Celibacy
To this sometimes tense discussion of sex and power, priest and theologian Cozzens brings his signature calmness, his own gifted experience of celibate life, and his talent for distilling the spiritual truth of the human condition.
Donald B. Cozzens, 2006
4
Clerical Celibacy in the West, C.1100-1700
Around this core area of study, the book also considers the influence of the early apostolic church and the example of the Greek church.
Helen L. Parish, 2010
5
Celibacy in the Early Church: The Beginnings of a Discipline ...
"Heid presents a penetrating and wide-ranging study of the historical data from the early Church on the topics of celibacy and clerical continence.
Stefan Heid, 2000
6
Celibacy, Culture, and Society: The Anthropology of Sexual ...
This is the first cross-cultural inquiry into the practice of celibacy around the world and through the ages, among groups as diverse as Kenyan villagers and U.S. prisoners, Mazatec Shamans and Buddhist nuns and monks, Shaker church members ...
Elisa Janine Sobo, Sandra Bell, 2001
7
Celibacy in Crisis: A Secret World Revisited
In the midst of the worst crisis the Catholic Church has seen in almost 500 years, this book challenges Catholic authorities to renew, rethink, or remove the long-standing institution of celibacy.
A. W. Richard Sipe, 2003
8
A Secret World: Sexuality And The Search For Celibacy
Published in 1990, A Secret World is a valuable contribution to the field of Family Therapy.
A.W. Richard Sipe, 2013
9
Celibacy in the Ancient World: Its Ideal and Practice in ...
Is there a socially constructive role for celibacy? These questions guide Dale Launderville, OSB, in his study of celibacy in the ancient cultures of Israel, Mesopotamia, and Greece prior to Hellenism and the rise of Christianity.
Dale Launderville, 2010
10
Demythologizing Celibacy: Practical Wisdom from Christian ...
" "Drawing on the monastic interreligious dialogue, Skudlarek considers the Buddhist view of celibacy, which is not mythologized as a response to a divine call or as a superhuman way of life.
William Skudlarek, 2008

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «CELIBACY»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term celibacy is used in the context of the following news items.
1
The Dalai Lama suggests practicing celibacy to get over a broken …
“Practice celibacy,” he said. “If you look at the nature of strong attachment, underlying that strong attachment is a clinging, grasping, and if you ... «The Independent, Jul 15»
2
Ciara and Russell Wilson abstaining from sex
Football player Russell Wilson has taken a vow of celibacy in his new relationship with singer Ciara. Ciara started dating Wilson in April ... «SFGate, Jul 15»
3
Patrick Njoroge: Kenya's new Central Bank governor turns down …
They follow a path of celibacy, and are among the most devoted to the organisation, practising self-flagellation and wearing a spiked chain, ... «The Independent, Jul 15»
4
Stiller: Jazzed-up "Lost" a winning fest opener
... (Colin Lawrence) and Dumain (Ronald Roman), who renege on an oath of celibacy the minute the Princess of France (Leslie Lank) and her ... «Bloomington Pantagraph, Jul 15»
5
Tony Abbott and Q&A: Before the boycott Abbott loved appearing on …
... such as reflecting on one of his daughters calling him a "lame, gay churchy loser" or his attempt at celibacy ("A brief one, I saw the dark"). «Sydney Morning Herald, Jul 15»
6
By putting God in the driver's seat, blogging deacon found his path
And it may be time for the church to take a serious and thoughtful look at priestly celibacy. Is that model still sustainable? If married men ... «National Catholic Reporter, Jul 15»
7
Santoya Fields to Lead RACHEL at New Brooklyn Theatre; Cast …
Historians tell us that Grimké lived the last three decades of her life in isolation and celibacy at a time when being a lesbian of color restricted ... «Broadway World, Jul 15»
8
Need for purifying one's mind
In living a life of celibacy, there are many formidable challenges. You will not understand them unless you have taken the wows of such an ... «The Island.lk, Jul 15»
9
Six scriptures I would use to address Kevin DeYoung's 40 questions …
Celibacy is not punishment or drudgery, but an amazingly spiritually potent existence that few human beings are gifted enough to handle. «Patheos, Jul 15»
10
Reading Room
... which Gandhi's martyrdom broke the prevailing power of evil and violence worldwide; how going beyond celibacy, Brahmacharya is a joyous ... «Bangalore Mirror, Jul 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Celibacy [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/celibacy>. May 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
en
English dictionary
Discover all that is hidden in the words on
index
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z