Definitions

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Becoming or befitting the church or a churchman.
  • Resembling a church.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Befitting a church or a churchman; becoming to a clergyman.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Resembling or befitting a church or a worship service

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

church +‎ -like

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word churchlike.

Examples

  • For example, Hindu temples in the United States also have a churchlike feel to them, even though Hinduism, like Islam, is not typically organized around a local congregation.

    American Grace Robert D. Putnam 2010

  • Beginning in 1976 with the album Blue Moves, his rock influences became less pronounced, and a more churchlike English pop style emerged in ballads like “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word” (1976), which typified the staid declamatory aura of his mature ballads.

    Five People Born on March 25 | myFiveBest 2010

  • He was showering recently when he had the idea for a wedding scene in "The Little Mermaid"—a three-dimensional churchlike structure with pews full of people.

    The Reigning Prince of Pop-Up Books Alexandra Alter 2011

  • The churchlike atmosphere of modern concert halls notwithstanding, Mozart debuted his piano concertos in the 1780s in Vienna's restaurants and guesthouses, where eating, drinking, gambling and sometimes shouting and brawling were not so unusual.

    Perhaps Some Schubert Stuart Isacoff 2011

  • This time, he's gone beyond the rich allegory of His Dark Materials and the battle of good versus evil (with a churchlike institution — known as "the Magisterium" — firmly on the side of evil).

    A Resurrection 2010

  • If one wanted time and space, a good place to find it was the churchlike solitude of acres of bare vines where the only sounds were the whistling wind and the sweet cries of the first birds of spring.

    The Viognier Vendetta Ellen Crosby 2010

  • Guitarist Lenny Kaye and former Television frontman Tom Verlaine also turned out for the churchlike performance.

    Punk Icon Patti Smith Waxes Poetic at Robert Miller Gallery 2009

  • Guitarist Lenny Kaye and former Television frontman Tom Verlaine also turned out for the churchlike performance.

    Punk Icon Patti Smith Waxes Poetic at Robert Miller Gallery 2009

  • The atmosphere was subdued, hushed and churchlike: people were on their very best behavior.

    Hilary Lambert: My Voting Kentucky Voting Story 2008

  • Going out for meals was a rare treat, usually confined to birthdays, or on holiday where the atmosphere in the hotel dining room was almost churchlike, with everyone talking incredibly quietly, like priests in the confessional.

    Fathers & Sons Richard Madeley 2008

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.