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

His choice is for a collegial system in which no individual is preeminent.

—Karen Elliott House

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 of collegial

• warm
• friendly
• gracious

Examples of collegial in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Part of our job is establishing collegial relationships with reporters. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

That collegial posture changed when residents noticed trees coming down. — Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026

Back then, the board was mostly Republican, mostly lawyers, and the atmosphere was collegial. — Hanna Rosin, The Atlantic, 16 July 2026

The mood there, in the search for shared approaches to safeguard against potentially negative impacts from artificial intelligence, is rather more collegial. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 7 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

see college

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1