ministerial

play

adjective min·is·te·ri·al \ ˌmi-nə-ˈstir-ē-əl \

Definition of ministerial

1 :of, relating to, or characteristic of a minister or the ministry

2 a :being or having the characteristics of an act or duty prescribed by law as part of the duties of an administrative office

b :relating to or being an act done after ascertaining the existence of a specified state of facts in obedience to a legal order without exercise of personal judgment or discretion

3 :acting or active as an agent

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ministerially

play \-ē-ə-lē\ adverb

See ministerial defined for English-language learners

See ministerial defined for kids

Examples of ministerial in a Sentence

She holds a ministerial office.
They function in a ministerial capacity in the embassy.

Recent Examples of ministerial from the Web

Promoted to ministerial roles after entering parliament in 2011, Chan is also Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress and Deputy Chairman of the People’s Association.

— melissa cheok, Bloomberg.com, "Watch If Trump Is ‘Aberration’ for U.S., Says Singapore's Chan," 20 Aug. 2017
The occasion is the annual ministerial meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which will be followed later this year by a meeting of the leaders of the organization's nations.

— author: gardiner harris, Alaska Dispatch News, "All eyes are on Tillerson and North Korean counterpart," 5 Aug. 2017
Many of its military strongmen and senior ministerial figures, including Vice President Tareck el Aissami, have been accused by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency of drug-trafficking.

— andrés miguel rondón, The Atlantic, "The Long, Slow Death of Chavismo," 29 June 2017
Arriving at an EU ministerial meeting on the matter on Tuesday, Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn made a play for the EBA, saying his country was already a European financial hub.

— gabriela baczynska, The Christian Science Monitor, "EU's first disagreement: Who should host newly displaced regulators?," 20 June 2017
Against that backdrop of foreboding, of darker days ahead, of prime ministerial defenestration and a fresh election, of chaos and confusion, what meaning is there in a state visit?

— rob crilly, CNN, "It's not a great time to visit, President Trump," 13 June 2017
A ministerial group from some Louisville neighborhoods hardest hit by the violence offered its own plan to combat the crime wave.

— crimesider staff, CBS News, "Kentucky governor's plan to combat rising Louisville murder rate: "Pray"," 2 June 2017
Last week, several ministerial buildings were damaged in the capital Brasilia -- including the Ministry of Agriculture, which was set on fire.

— flora charner, CNN, "Artists and activists call for Brazilian President to resign," 28 May 2017
This month, the ministerial internship program at the North Cleveland Church of God in Cleveland, Tenn., commissioned the groom’s father to become a pastor.

— New York Times, "Alfonso Ferguson, Daton Haywood," 28 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ministerial.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of ministerial

1561

ministerial Synonyms

Synonyms

clerkly, clerical, pastoral, priestly, sacerdotal

Antonyms

lay, nonclerical, secular, temporal

Related Words

evangelical (also evangelic), missionary; apostolic, canonical, diaconal, diocesan, episcopal, papal, patriarchal, pontifical; churchly, ecclesiastic, ecclesiastical; divine, holy, religious, sacramental; conventual, mendicant, monachal, monastic; caliphal, rabbinic (or rabbinical)

Other Government and Politics Terms

agent provocateur, agitprop, autarky, cabal, egalitarianism, federalism, hegemony, plenipotentiary, popular sovereignty, socialism

MINISTERIAL Defined for English Language Learners

ministerial

play

adjective

Definition of ministerial for English Language Learners

: of or relating to a government minister

Law Dictionary

ministerial

play

adjective min·is·te·ri·al \ ˌmi-nə-ˈstir-ē-əl \

legal Definition of ministerial

1 :being or having the characteristics of an act or duty prescribed by law as part of the duties of an administrative office

2 :relating to or being an act done after ascertaining the existence of a specified state of facts in obedience to legal and especially statutory mandate without exercise of personal judgment or discretion — see also mandamus — compare discretionary

3 :relating to a minister or ministry