collegial

adjective

col·​le·​gial kə-ˈlē-j(ē-)əl 

 especially for sense 2a also  -ˈlē-gē-əl

1

: collegiate sense 2

2

a

: marked by power or authority vested equally in each of a number of colleagues

There was an increasing tendency to turn from collegial to one-man management.

—Merle Fainsod

b

: characterized by equal sharing of authority especially by Roman Catholic bishops

a collegial church

3

: marked by camaraderie among colleagues

collegial relationships among faculty members

collegially adverb

Synonyms

• amicable
• bonhomous
• buddy-buddy
• chummy
• companionable
• comradely
• cordial
• friendly
• genial
• hail-fellow
• hail-fellow-well-met
• hearty
• matey [chiefly British]
• neighborly
• palsy
• palsy-walsy [slang]
• warm
• warmhearted

Examples of collegial in a Sentence

company luncheons that are designed to instill a collegial spirit among coworkers

Recent Examples on the Web

The annual gathering of the American Psychiatric Association is a dignified and collegial affair, full of scholarly exchanges, polite laughter and polite applause. —Ellen Barry, New York Times, 21 May 2024

Newmark, a collegial man with a compact build, told Hansen that, more than 20 years before, two academic scientists, Donald Taves and Warren Guy, had discovered a fluorochemical in human blood. —Sharon Lerner, ProPublica, 20 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

see college

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1