Skip to main content
cloister

cloister

4 9.1
A place where monks or nuns live away from the rest of the world
  • noun
  • /ˈklɔɪstər/
translation icon : claustro
  • Father Benito stepped into the vast cloister enclosed within the convent.

Examples

  • Sister Victoria must have been the last nun in this cloister.

  • No wonder people take vows and live in cloisters all their lives.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • In a cloister, there is a wall around the world.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The women of the cloister were dedicated to knowledge and the Elder Arts, what we call magic.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • I live like a nun in a cloister.

  • They think there are others in our cloister better suited to deliver your letters to Rome.

  • Suddenly she felt all alone, lost within the horrid hallways of the cloister.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • As they dismount and walk into the quiet cloisters, Fernando suddenly spots a familiar figure standing under the Roman arches.

    Fiction book (1992)
  • The gloomy Fray Ignatio preferred to stay inside his dim cloister filled with dark, carved furniture from Spain.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • The monks gathered in the cloister to pray and reflect on their vows.

Synonyms

monastery
vscloister
108 6.0

A building where monks live, work, and pray together

covers secluded religious residences for any members, not only men
abbey
vscloister
81 6.5

A large building where monks or nuns live and worship

is the simpler term for secluded religious houses without large complex emphasis
convent
vscloister
64 5.6

A building where nuns live and pray together

is the neutral term for secluded religious houses for any gender
nunnery
vscloister
12 8.1

A building where religious women live and work

is the gender neutral phrase for secluded religious living places
priory
vscloister
7 9.9

A building where monks or nuns live and pray

is the general secluded living place term not tied to specific governance
religious residence
vscloister
6.4

A place where people live apart to focus on religion, like a monastery or convent

is the general word for any secluded religious living place

Antonyms

18 1.0

An outdoor area with no cover

How Strict

cloister
4 9.1
community
2.8

Surface Forms

cloister singular
cloisters plural

Etymology

Cloister comes from the Latin word claustrum, which means 'a closed place' and is related to words like close and closet. So a cloister is a religious home set apart and shut away from the busy world, which is why it means a place where monks or nuns live in seclusion.