parliamentary

adjective

par·​lia·​men·​ta·​ry ˌpär-lə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē 

also ˌpärl-yə-

1

a

: of or relating to a parliament

parliamentary elections

parliamentary debate

b

: enacted, done, or ratified by a parliament

a parliamentary grant of money

2

: of or adhering to the parliament as opposed to the king during the English Civil War

… rendered the parliamentary armies … victorious.

—David Hume

3

: of, based on, or having the characteristics of parliamentary government

parliamentary democracy

4

: of or relating to members of a parliament

a parliamentary committee

… have the leader selected by the Parliamentary caucus.

—London Times

5

: of or according to parliamentary law

parliamentary procedure

Examples of parliamentary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Navinchandra Ramgoolam, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, had some more details to share with his peers during a parliamentary sitting yesterday. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 6 May 2026

As a representative, Nabbanja served as the treasurer of the National Resistance Movement Parliamentary Caucus (2011–16) and as a parliamentary commissioner (2016–19). —Laura Payne, Encyclopedia Britannica, 1 May 2026

The move was presented as a collective declaration of political support and unity rather than a formal parliamentary vote, local media outlets reported. —Hira Humayun, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026

Under former President Jacob Zuma’s administration, a 9,600 MW plan tied to Russia’s Rosatom was struck down by the courts for bypassing parliamentary oversight. —Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 27 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Medieval Latin parlamentārius, parliamentārius, from parlamentum, parliamentum parliament + Latin -ārius -ary entry 2

First Known Use

1604, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing parliamentary

• parliamentary government
• parliamentary law

Rhymes for parliamentary

• alimentary
• complimentary
• documentary
• rudimentary
• sedimentary
• supplementary
• testamentary
• integumentary
• uncomplimentary
• unparliamentary
• interparliamentary
• metasedimentary

Kids Definition

parliamentary

adjective

par·​lia·​men·​ta·​ry ˌpär-lə-ˈment-ə-rē 

-ˈmen-trē

also ˌpärl-yə-

1

: of, relating to, or enacted by a parliament

2

: of or relating to government by a cabinet whose members belong to and are responsible to the legislature

3

: of or according to the rules governing the way in which official meetings (as of a parliament or congress) are conducted

parliamentary procedure

Legal Definition

parliamentary

adjective

par·​lia·​men·​ta·​ry ˌpär-lə-ˈmen-tə-rē, ˌpärl-yə- 

1

a

: of or relating to a parliament

b

: enacted, done, or ratified by a parliament

2

: of, based on, or having the characteristics of parliamentary government

3

: of or relating to the members of a parliament

4

: of or according to parliamentary law