1
as in rural
of, relating to, associated with, or typical of open areas with few buildings or people
painted a pastoral scene of a flower-filled meadow
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ministerial
of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy
pastoral advice to a young couple preparing to marry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pastorale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of pastoral
Kerry Spencer, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Dec. 2024
The northern Galilee, ringed by Syrian and Lebanese hills and under the gaze of towering Mount Hermon in the northern Golan Heights, is beloved for its fresh air, pastoral views, and relaxed pace far from Israel’s crowded center.
—Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
This blend of the pastoral and the religious made the Senegal River feel like an archaic vision of paradise, a strip of vivid life in an otherwise unforgiving environment.
—J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for pastoral 
Adjective
There’s the chance to ride a toboggan through the pastoral Black Forest and tour the 17th-century Heidelberg Castle.
—Kerry Spencer, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Dec. 2024
The northern Galilee, ringed by Syrian and Lebanese hills and under the gaze of towering Mount Hermon in the northern Golan Heights, is beloved for its fresh air, pastoral views, and relaxed pace far from Israel’s crowded center.
—Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
As with Home, the story is about a return to the pastoral, at least ostensibly: Marina (Maggie Siff, always two ticks better than her material) is a broadcast journalist who’s trying to settle down after a career spent in war zones.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
This blend of the pastoral and the religious made the Senegal River feel like an archaic vision of paradise, a strip of vivid life in an otherwise unforgiving environment.
—J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
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Both of those hurricanes made landfall in rural Taylor County.Jim Turner, Orlando Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024
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The Norris School District, which serves students in grades K4-12, in rural southwestern Waukesha County, had just 37 students enrolled in 2023-24, according to the DPI.Alec Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Its brand is now recognizable across the country from bicycle stands in cities to ministerial meetings.Saleem H. Ali, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
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On the same day, the Gulf Cooperation Council hosted a rare informal joint GCC-Iranian ministerial meeting, the first in more than 17 years, during which members affirmed the Gulf states’ unwillingness to allow their territory and airspace to be used to launch attacks against Iran.Maria Fantappie, Foreign Affairs, 22 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Dickie was - obviously in the book, this sort of idyll, right?Jeff Conway, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
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Then, one day, a dark cloud appeared, as if summoned by a witch jealous of their domestic idyll.Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024
Noun
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Streams of information flow into and over each other in an elegy about who was who, and when, and why.Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
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Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alba Rohrwacher, Pierfrancesco Favino and Valeria Golino round out the cast of this visually and emotionally rich biopic styled as an operatic elegy.Travis Bean, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2024
Noun
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He is known as the patron saint of bookbinders and wrote an illustrative book of psalms while at the monastery of St. Finnian, according to Discovering Ireland.Joyce Orlando, The Tennessean, 15 Mar. 2024
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Inside the nave, choirs sang psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ thundered back to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies.Thomas Adamson and John Leicester, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2024
Noun
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At best, Gidden’s singing and arrangement of a Monteverdi madrigal achieve remarkable eloquence.Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2021
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After this is a setting of a Whitman poem for chorus a cappella in the style of a sixteenth-century madrigal, followed by a section in which a line from Dante’s Inferno is sung by a vocal trio in the style of a medieval motet.Walter Simmons, Harper's Magazine, 25 May 2021
Noun
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The 54th edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will open with the world premiere of dark comedy Fabula from Dutch filmmaker Michiel ten Horn and close with historical epic This City Is a Battlefield from Indonesian director Mouly Surya.Sara Merican, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2024
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Interstellar—Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic starring Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway—is being celebrated with a 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray box set release.Tim Lammers, Forbes, 10 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That latter category includes my No. 1 title, an ode to the glories of cinema that ends, in an utterly magical sequence, with all its major characters entering a movie theatre.Justin Chang, The New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2024
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The film is an ode to Cincinnati and the Janson brothers Despite their lack of acting experience, the Jansons' on-screen performance was anything but amateur.Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 17 Dec. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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