From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcelibatecel‧i‧bate /ˈseləbət/ adjective SEX/HAVE SEX WITHnot married and not having sex, especially because of your religious beliefs → virgin Catholic priests are required to be celibate. —celibate noun [countable] —celibacy /-bəsi/ noun [uncountable] a vow of celibacy
Examples from the Corpus
celibate• The result was that Dahomean kings were very fecund, while ordinary Dahomean men were often celibate and barren.• It costs much less to support celibate clergy than ministers or rabbis with spouses and children.• He had remained celibate for three years before he met Hannah.• The priest must be celibate in order to purify himself for the handling of the sacred in the sacrament.• But Jim had been living a celibate life for nearly eighteen years and planned to continue doing so.• She was not prepared for a celibate life in the Church.• A celibate period followed, he says, before he started making out with men.• The celibate person is more available, not less so.• It was unsettling to know that a panel of celibate strangers were scrutinizing her most intimate affairs.Origin celibate (1800-1900) Latin caelibatus, from caelebs “unmarried” 