ministerial

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

2a : 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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Examples of ministerial in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web The Quad held its first formal ministerial-level gathering about a year ago in New York, which was seen as a sign of growing unease over Xi’s more assertive foreign policy. — Isabel Reynolds, Bloomberg.com, "Pompeo Calls for United ‘Quad’ Bloc on China in Virus Crisis," 5 Oct. 2020 Tomegah-Dogbe chose a government in which women hold 30% of ministerial positions, a record for the country. — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, "865,000 women dropped out of the workforce in September," 5 Oct. 2020 Burgess honed her ministerial skills at her father’s Hartford congregation, Union Baptist Church, as well as Hartford City Mission, and is now pursuing degrees in divinity and social work at Howard University in Washington D.C. — Susan Dunne, courant.com, "‘Mourning the American legacy of disregard for Black lives’: Black women in Connecticut exhausted by Breonna Taylor decision," 5 Oct. 2020 But efforts by the relatively unknown Adib to broker an agreement over the distribution of ministerial portfolio stalled amid factional fighting. — Washington Post, "Acting Lebanese prime minister steps down, setting back efforts to form government," 26 Sep. 2020 Kohler intervened and argued that the swap was not a decision subject to judicial review, but merely a ministerial act by the bureaucracy. — Bruce Vielmetti, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Court reinstates challenge to Kohler-DNR land swap for Lake Michigan golf course project," 15 Sep. 2020 China has maintained ministerial contacts with the United States as well as governments of other countries that supported Australia's pandemic stance, including Japan, Germany and France. — Rod Mcguirk, Star Tribune, "Chinese envoy says Australia betrayed China for US on virus," 26 Aug. 2020 And by the next year Lawson took a ministerial position in Nashville, Tennessee, and began taking divinity classes at Vanderbilt University. — Christopher Wilson, Smithsonian Magazine, "The Moment When Four Students Sat Down to Take a Stand," 31 Jan. 2020 Mexico, for example, leaped up the rankings this year after nearly tripling the number of women serving in ministerial positions (15.8% to 42.1%). — Ann Scott Tyson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Points of Progress: Where women are seeing gains, globally," 3 Aug. 2020

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.

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Last Updated

10 Oct 2020

Cite this Entry

“Ministerial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ministerial. Accessed 22 Oct. 2020.

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More Definitions for ministerial

ministerial

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of ministerial

: of or relating to a government minister

See the full definition for ministerial in the English Language Learners Dictionary

ministerial

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

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