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
Relevance
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
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 pastoral
Cortney Fries, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2025
Concordia’s dean revoked Marty’s pastoral posting in London, instead sending him to serve as assistant to the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025
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
Evergreen trees shade the pastoral grounds, planted to simulate the majesty of being in the Rocky Mountains, the owner’s other favorite place.
—Cortney Fries, Travel + Leisure, 8 Mar. 2025
Concordia’s dean revoked Marty’s pastoral posting in London, instead sending him to serve as assistant to the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest.
—Bob Goldsborough, Chicago Tribune, 27 Feb. 2025
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
-
The Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) awards money to low-income and rural school districts.—
Jonaki Mehta,
NPR,
21 Mar. 2025
-
The pastor lived on a farm in rural Florida that kept dogs outside and had a group of goats, according to the report, but the man wasn’t involved in their care.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
In the city’s initial ministerial review in 2020, the developer was asked to confirm that the science and research uses would generate up to 3,540 ADT, and that accessory retail and service uses would be non-trip generating and therefore not count against the square footage.—
Karen Billing,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Mar. 2025
-
Syrians are also wary of the promises of inclusivity coming from a government led by Mr. al-Shara’s Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which has given government and ministerial positions to its own loyalists.—
Raja Abdulrahim,
New York Times,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
But the trend at the giddiest heights of real estate isn’t the waft of a Brady Bunch idyll.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
22 Mar. 2025
-
Houses have always been haunted, but, whereas poltergeists of yore troubled the suburban idyll of white America, in these shows the scariest spectre is a disappearing profit margin.—
Jennifer Wilson,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
In fact, the opening moments play out like an elegy for the whole nation: a school boarded up, with empty corridors and empty classrooms.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2025
-
As photographed by Austin Shelton, the widescreen images — and even the vertical TikTok videos braided alongside — convey a hopeful vision of their future, more fresh start than elegy.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The Lady Olive certainly sank: All of its crew members escaped in lifeboats, singing psalms to stave off hypothermia, and were saved after 36 hours at sea.—
Sean Kingsley,
Smithsonian Magazine,
18 Feb. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
The service and concert will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the church, 815 S. Washington St. Castle Singers are vocalists who perform a variety of chamber repertoire, varying from Renaissance madrigals and motets to contemporary pop and vocal jazz.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
-
At best, Gidden’s singing and arrangement of a Monteverdi madrigal achieve remarkable eloquence.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Sep. 2021
Noun
-
From cooperative platformers to historical epics, NPR staff and contributors have rounded up the latest from the best and biggest games of 2025 so far.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
28 Mar. 2025
-
Nowhere was that more true than at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday, where Manchester City and Chelsea played out their third game in a four-match epic.—
Jessy Parker Humphreys,
The Athletic,
24 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The song is a tender ode to a loved one in her life, presumably a lover like her partner Don Toliver, though her love has also been overflowing for her baby son over the past year.—
Chris Malone Mendez,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
-
This is a cool ode to Khan, who has gone viral in recent weeks on social media.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
20 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share