pastoral

adjective pas·to·ral \ ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl , nonstandard pa-ˈstȯr-əl \

|Updated on: 13 Aug 2018

Examples: pastoral in a Sentence

Definition of pastoral

1 a (1) : of, relating to, or composed of shepherds or herdsmen

a pastoral people, seminomadic in their habits
—J. M. Mogey

(2) : devoted to or based on livestock raising

a pastoral economy

b : of or relating to the countryside : not urban

a pastoral setting

c : portraying or expressive of the life of shepherds or country people especially in an idealized and conventionalized manner

pastoral poetry

a pastoral symphony

d : pleasingly peaceful and innocent : idyllic

pastoral dreams were shattered by the year's round of … unwelcome visitors, ruinous floods and procrastinating workmen
—Betty Fussell

2 a : of or relating to spiritual care or guidance especially of a congregation

pastoral counseling

b : of or relating to the pastor of a church

pastoral duties

—

pastorally

play \ˈpa-st(ə-)rə-lē\ adverb

—

pastoralness

noun

See pastoral defined for English-language learners

See pastoral defined for kids

Examples of pastoral in a Sentence

The house is situated in a charming pastoral setting.
Her favorite painting in the collection is a pastoral landscape.
The bishop outlined the church's views in a pastoral letter.

Recent Examples of pastoral from the Web

Vote Like a Girl will take place outside Washington Irving’s Sunnyside, the author’s pastoral estate.

— laurel graeber, New York Times, "9 Things to Do With Your Kids in N.Y.C. This Weekend," 12 July 2018
Even by the generous standards of pastoral fantasy, this play is a dreamy immersion in a place where magic spells are the norm.

— mike giuliano, Howard County Times, "A Midsummer Night in Ellicott City," 28 June 2018
The letter was issued on the same day the Vatican announced its top abuse investigators were returning to Chile on a pastoral mission.

— Fox News, "The Latest: Francis condemns 'culture of abuse,' a papal 1st," 1 June 2018
The 91 acres of parkland have just been refined by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates as if restoring a vision of the pastoral.

— edward rothstein, WSJ, "A New Gateway to the West," 2 July 2018
Blackberry Farm is a hotel located on a pastoral 4,200-acre estate in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

— monica mendal, Vogue, "Inside Harley Viera-Newton’s Dreamy Summer Trip to Blackberry Farm," 10 July 2018
Peering through one of the bay windows feels particularly empowering in catching sight at the bucolic landscapes and pastoral grace.

— patrick z. mcgavin, Daily Southtown, "Guide to outdoor dining in Chicago suburbs: Public Landing in Lockport," 8 July 2018
The pastoral setting is a beauty, but the golf course is a beast.

— carlos monarrez, Detroit Free Press, "Top 10 metro Detroit public golf courses for 2018," 6 July 2018
Ahead of the referendum, bishops have released pastoral letters, instructed their priests to preach on the sanctity of life and released a weekly handout in the churches on Catholic teaching.

— paul hannon, WSJ, "Catholic Church Takes a Background Role Ahead of Ireland’s Abortion Vote," 23 May 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of pastoral

Middle English, from Latin pastoralis, from pastor herdsman

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 15th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

pastoral Synonyms

Other Animal Husbandry Terms

apiary, bantam, calico, girth, hogwash, mast, rut

pastoral

noun \ ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl ; sense 1d is often ˌpa-stə-ˈräl , -ˈral \

Definition of pastoral

1 a : a literary work (such as a poem or play) dealing with shepherds or rural life in a usually artificial manner and typically drawing a contrast between the innocence and serenity of the simple life and the misery and corruption of city and especially court life

b : pastoral poetry or drama

c : a rural picture or scene

d : pastorale 1a

2 : crosier 1

3 : a letter of a pastor to his charge: such as

a : a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese

b : a letter of the house of bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church to be read in each parish

Recent Examples of pastoral from the Web

However, Hamilton's Thomas Kail lost out in the best directing race to Sam Mendes for Jez Butterworth's modern Irish pastoral, The Ferryman, which is scheduled to transfer to Broadway in the fall.

— alex ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Olivier Awards 2018: Full List of Winners," 8 Apr. 2018
The result is something that is looser and more open-ended, less hard science fiction than a dreamy kind of science pastoral, albeit one populated with mutant crocodiles.

— george pendle, Esquire, "Alex Garland Mutated Annihilation Into a Psychedelic Sci-Fi Horror," 21 Feb. 2018
Ashbery chose fractured pastoral; Rich extracted metaphors from geology, archaeology, astronomy and biology.

— wayne koestenbaum, New York Times, "Book Review Newsletter," 15 July 2016

Origin and Etymology of pastoral

see ¹pastoral

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1584

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

Other Literature Terms

apophasis, bathos, bildungsroman, bowdlerize, caesura, coda, doggerel, euphemism, poesy, prosody

PASTORAL Defined for English Language Learners

pastoral

adjective

Definition of pastoral for English Language Learners

: of or relating to the countryside or to the lives of people who live in the country
: of or relating to the spiritual care or guidance of people who are members of a religious group
: of or relating to the pastor of a church