noun

• A person, typically a priest or minister, who performs a religious service or ceremony.

  ‘Among Muslims, burial must occur within twenty-four hours and be attended by Muslim officiants; Christian burial is also led by a local church leader.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Death ceremonies are quite elaborate in Sri Lanka, usually conducted by the families of the deceased in conjunction with religious officiants.’
  • ‘More than 100 guests attended the non-denominational ceremony, which was held on the beach during sunset and performed by a local officiant.’
  • ‘All told, 21 worship services take place in the chapel every week, whether anyone but the officiant is there or not.’
  • ‘Consequently they have lodged a petition with the parliament claiming its officiants are being discriminated against on religious grounds.’
  • ‘Last year in Scotland, 27 weddings, three naming ceremonies and 233 funerals were conducted by humanist officiants.’
  • ‘The venue is purpose built for rituals and ceremonies, with appropriately fabulous acoustics, lavish trimmings and colourfully costumed officiants.’
  • ‘But some officiants I spoke to sternly discourage inclusion of anything which might smack of religion - even a fondly remembered hymn.’
  • ‘She is one of only two officiants accredited by the British Humanist Association to conduct ceremonies.’
  • ‘Dieste wrote of his desire to unite the congregants with the officiants in a single space, which the nave of this church provides.’
  • ‘Some of the officiants wore judges' robes, some were in business suits, and some were dressed fairly casually.’
  • ‘When holding it high above his head did not make the sacrament sufficiently visible to the congregation, the officiant could take other measures to ensure its visibility.’
  • ‘What if someone asked you to be an officiant at a wedding?’
  • ‘Among the Lao the officiant is usually an ex-monk who has attained considerable esoteric knowledge of the ritual language of the ceremony.’
  • ‘The choice is yours, just remember to check with your officiant before totally committing to whatever vow you choose.’
  • ‘The officiant should then appraise the boy and girl of the duties and obligations of conjugal life according to the Gurus tenets.’
  • ‘As the officiant, I was worried that I would trip over the words, or begin hacking and coughing.’
  • ‘Yesterday it was standing room only in the chapel during the short, humanist service conducted by the chapel officiant.’
  • ‘Now brides often have their fathers or both parents accompany them, and have the officiant ask ‘Who supports this couple in marriage?’’
  • ‘Born in a village of poor fisherfolk and growing up illiterate, Hung Tung worked as officiant in a Taoist temple while doing odd jobs to maintain his family.’