collegial

adjective

col·​le·​gial kə-ˈlē-j(ē-)əl How to pronounce collegial (audio)
 especially for sense 2a also  -ˈlē-gē-əl
1
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

Examples of collegial in a Sentence

company luncheons that are designed to instill a collegial spirit among coworkers
Recent Examples on the Web The filmmakers on stage had collaborated together in various configurations while working for Corman, so there was a collegial, affectionate air of a class reunion to the event. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023 And that maybe — just maybe — the old-fashioned collegial values practiced by Butler’s predecessor, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who was mourned in San Francisco last week, aren’t all dead too. Erika D. Smith, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2023 The firm hired many programmers and math majors and had a geeky, collegial culture; late-night chess tournaments were common. Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2023 Democrats partially powered their 2020 presidential campaign on the notion that Joe Biden cast a long, collegial shadow over Washington and was just the figure to help a wayward Republican Party break the fever that had engulfed it during the Trump years. Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 22 Sep. 2023 Gone are the days when a coffeemaker is judged sufficient to keep employees creative and collegial. Timothy Noah, The New Republic, 6 June 2023 In interviews, employees described Johnson as mercurial — collegial with some senior leaders but sometimes menacing with lower level staffers. Mike Damiano, BostonGlobe.com, 15 Apr. 2023 The over-all atmosphere is notably collegial, like a local sports bar where the regulars gather to root for the home team. Cal Newport, The New Yorker, 16 Aug. 2023 The stewards address one another with first names in an informal, collegial and respectful atmosphere, other than a few rare instances over the years. David Waldstein Jane Stockdale, New York Times, 13 July 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'collegial.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

see college

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of collegial was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near collegial

Cite this Entry

“Collegial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/collegial. Accessed 28 Nov. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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