ministerial

adjective

ˌmi-nə-ˈstir-ē-əl How to pronounce ministerial (audio)
Definition of ministerialnext
as in pastoral
of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy a priest conscientiously tending to his ministerial duties

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ministerial On Monday, six lower-ranking ministerial aides quit, and several senior members of Starmer's governing cabinet urged him to set out a plan for his resignation and to hold a party leadership contest, according to The Guardian newspaper. — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 12 May 2026 And finally, the report calls on stakeholders to collaborate across institutions, sectors and borders to establish cross-ministerial task forces, strengthening mutual recognition and interoperability of sustainability requirements across markets. — Jennifer Bringle, Footwear News, 15 June 2026 Boris Johnson followed, but was forced to quit in July 2022 after revelations over his handling of misconduct allegations against Chris Pincher, Conservative deputy chief whip, triggered a wave of ministerial resignations. — Hugh Leask, CNBC, 22 June 2026 As the adrenaline levels rose on Monday and Tuesday, and the familiar choreography of another British political crisis began to play out—ministerial resignations, spiky statements on X—the collateral damage that Starmer had warned against started to encroach, once again, upon the scene. — Sam Knight, New Yorker, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ministerial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ministerial
pastoral
Adjective
  • Rodeos in rural Australia are more modest affairs, with distinct cultural origins rooted in pastoral stations and country towns.
    — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 5 July 2026
  • Melinda Moore, a psychology professor at Eastern Kentucky University, noted that most clergy and faith leaders receive little or no training in pastoral care for those who are suicidal or suicide-bereaved.
    — Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Definition of pastoral

Browse Nearby Words

ministered (to)
ministerial
ministering (to)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ministerial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ministerial. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on ministerial

Nglish: Translation of ministerial for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All