papal

adjective pa·pal \ ˈpā-pəl \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of papal

: of or relating to a pope or to the Roman Catholic Church; also : resembling a pope or that of a pope

—

papally

play \ˈpā-pə-lē\ adverb

See papal defined for English-language learners

See papal defined for kids

Recent Examples of papal from the Web

Whatever the truth of its tech, Tesla doesn’t have the kind of papal power or persuasion that gave us macchiatos and cafés crème.

— aarian marshall, WIRED, "Is Tesla's Autopilot Safe? Finding Out Demands Better Data," 17 May 2018
Rihanna came serving papal eleganza, Lena Waithe wore the pride flag as a cape, and Chadwick Boseman proved that men’s fashion doesn’t have to be dull by adorning himself with gold glitter.

— laura bradley, HWD, "Jimmy Fallon’s Met Gala Was Filled with Hooded Monks and Madonna," 9 May 2018
There were countless crowns, tons of tiaras, a handful of heavenly halos, and a very bling-y papal hat worn by none other than Rihanna on the red carpet at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual gala.

— amber kallor, Allure, "How Lily Aldridge’s Simple Knotted Hairstyle for the 2018 Met Gala Came to Life," 8 May 2018
The ornate, intricate, almost otherworldly papal vestments were hung carefully behind glass like oversized gold and white butterflies.

— pamela keogh, Vanities, "“I’m Not Sure Any Bishops Could Fit into Them”: Touring the Met’s Catholic Fashions with Father James Martin," 8 May 2018
Aaron Boone replaced Joe Girardi having never managed a game - yet with the papal blessing of a New York press corps that seemed ready to give him a pass.

— gabe lacques, USA TODAY, "MLB early overreactions: Astros, Nationals unstoppable, Boone and Kapler questionable," 2 Apr. 2018
And Pope Francis mentioned the hackathon during his weekly Sunday Angelus, the papal blessing delivered to a crowd of thousands.

— andrea valdez, WIRED, "Inside the Vatican's First-Ever Hackathon," 12 Mar. 2018
The first non-European in the modern era, the first South American and the third consecutive non-Italian will go by the name Pope Francis I. The 76-year-old chose his papal moniker as a nod to Saint Francis of Assisi.

— meredith bodgas, Woman's Day, "The First South American Pope Is Elected," 13 Mar. 2013
The 2015 papal visit had a price tag of about $17 million to the city, almost half of which was expected to be reimbursed by the World Meeting of Families.

— william bender, Philly.com, "Eagles Super Bowl parade cost $2.27 million, with team and state chipping in," 20 Apr. 2018

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