pro·ce·dur·al
prə-ˈsē-jə-rəl 
-ˈsēj-rəl
: of or relating to procedure
especially
: of or relating to the procedure used by courts or other bodies administering substantive law
procedurally
adverb
: a realist crime novel, film, or television drama with a specific focus
a courtroom procedural
especially
: police procedural
Examples of procedural in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
The House on Friday cleared a key procedural hurdle in passing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, despite dozens of Republican defections, with Democrats helping Speaker Mike Johnson avoid a stinging defeat.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2024
At the center of the procedural fight is the U.S.-Mexico border and the people who have crossed it in record numbers.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
In the election interference cases, lawyers for Mr. Trump and other defendants have generally not disputed the evidence, choosing instead to challenge the investigations on free speech, immunity or procedural grounds.
—Danny Hakim, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Taylor Wilson: And were any other procedural motions tackled throughout the day in court?
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Now, in its 21st season, the procedural had its first spinoff in 2009 with the premiere of its Los Angeles counterpart, and a New Orleans offshoot followed in 2014 before Hawai'i joined the fold in 2021.
—Staff Author, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2024
The final Senate tally was 19-14, though one senator changed his yes vote at the last minute to use a procedural maneuver to keep the legislation alive.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The European Court of Human Rights rejected two other, similar cases on procedural grounds — a high-profile one brought by Portuguese young people and another by a French mayor that sought to force governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
—Molly Quell, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Audiences still showed up for the networks’ talent shows and procedurals, but the entertainment Zeitgeist was drifting away from traditional prime time.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The stories can be predictable, which is in itself predictable, or a little silly, not unusual among episodic procedurals, and perfectly acceptable.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
After more than 400 episodes on Law & Order, the actor behind Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy said farewell to the legal procedural on Thursday's episode.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
Katherine Waterston Says Dad Sam Waterston's Passion for Acting Inspired Her to Follow in His Footsteps
Waterston, 83, portrayed iconic District Attorney Jack McCoy from the NBC procedural's fifths season in 1994 through its initial cancellation in 2010.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024
Together, the two series may herald a new hybrid genre befitting the end of TV’s prestige era: the cinematic procedural, which returns to the simpler, more episodic plots of network-style programming but retains streaming’s lavish budgets.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Moreover, procedurals require a deft balance: An episode centers on the drama surrounding the case (or disease or disaster) of the week, as tackled by characters that have ongoing plotlines and deep backstories.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 1 Feb. 2024
And 2023 has dropped dozens of other worthwhile shows too, spanning a variety of genres for audiences of all stripes, from medical procedurals to period Westerns, political thrillers to time-traveling romances.
—TIME, 27 Dec. 2023
Adjective
As with many such disputes, this one morphed from a substantive argument into a procedural one.
—Elizabeth Kolbert, The New Yorker, 20 Apr. 2024
The House on Friday cleared a key procedural hurdle in passing foreign aid to Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan, despite dozens of Republican defections, with Democrats helping Speaker Mike Johnson avoid a stinging defeat.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 19 Apr. 2024
At the center of the procedural fight is the U.S.-Mexico border and the people who have crossed it in record numbers.
—Deirdre Walsh, NPR, 17 Apr. 2024
In the election interference cases, lawyers for Mr. Trump and other defendants have generally not disputed the evidence, choosing instead to challenge the investigations on free speech, immunity or procedural grounds.
—Danny Hakim, New York Times, 17 Apr. 2024
Taylor Wilson: And were any other procedural motions tackled throughout the day in court?
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 16 Apr. 2024
Now, in its 21st season, the procedural had its first spinoff in 2009 with the premiere of its Los Angeles counterpart, and a New Orleans offshoot followed in 2014 before Hawai'i joined the fold in 2021.
—Staff Author, Peoplemag, 14 Apr. 2024
The final Senate tally was 19-14, though one senator changed his yes vote at the last minute to use a procedural maneuver to keep the legislation alive.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 11 Apr. 2024
The European Court of Human Rights rejected two other, similar cases on procedural grounds — a high-profile one brought by Portuguese young people and another by a French mayor that sought to force governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
—Molly Quell, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
There are dramas and procedurals, sci-fi galore, and enough historical epics to keep you occupied well into summer.
—Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Audiences still showed up for the networks’ talent shows and procedurals, but the entertainment Zeitgeist was drifting away from traditional prime time.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The stories can be predictable, which is in itself predictable, or a little silly, not unusual among episodic procedurals, and perfectly acceptable.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
After more than 400 episodes on Law & Order, the actor behind Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy said farewell to the legal procedural on Thursday's episode.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
Katherine Waterston Says Dad Sam Waterston's Passion for Acting Inspired Her to Follow in His Footsteps
Waterston, 83, portrayed iconic District Attorney Jack McCoy from the NBC procedural's fifths season in 1994 through its initial cancellation in 2010.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024
Together, the two series may herald a new hybrid genre befitting the end of TV’s prestige era: the cinematic procedural, which returns to the simpler, more episodic plots of network-style programming but retains streaming’s lavish budgets.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Moreover, procedurals require a deft balance: An episode centers on the drama surrounding the case (or disease or disaster) of the week, as tackled by characters that have ongoing plotlines and deep backstories.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 1 Feb. 2024
And 2023 has dropped dozens of other worthwhile shows too, spanning a variety of genres for audiences of all stripes, from medical procedurals to period Westerns, political thrillers to time-traveling romances.
—TIME, 27 Dec. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'procedural.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near procedural
Cite this Entry
“Procedural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procedural. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
procedural
adjective
pro·ce·dur·al
prə-ˈsēj-(ə-)rəl
: relating to or comprising memory or knowledge concerned with how to manipulate symbols, concepts, and rules to accomplish a task or solve a problem compare declarative
Legal Definition
procedural
adjective
pro·ce·dur·al
prə-ˈsē-jə-rəl
: of or relating to procedure
sentence reversed as result of procedural error in sentencing—National Law Journal
compare substantive
National Law Journal
procedurally
adverb
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