pastoral

adjective

pas·​to·​ral ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl 

nonstandard pa-ˈstȯr-əl

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

ˈpa-st(ə-)rə-lē 

adverb

pastoralness noun

Synonyms of pastoral

• rural

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 on the Web

The backstory Long before luxury boutiques and embassies claimed Knightsbridge, the area was a pastoral patchwork of open fields and marshy lowlands. —Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 June 2026

Visitors might arrive by crossing the central plaza; emerging from the underground parking garage, nestled into a berm; or else wandering in from the surrounding Jackson Park, a network of pastoral paths completed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in 1871. —Sam Cochran, Architectural Digest, 4 June 2026

When going about your day in your favorite sundress, carrying a straw tote bag adds a pastoral, practical charm to your look, which certainly beats dragging around a sad shopping bag. —Kevin Huynh, InStyle, 4 June 2026

In retrospect, this traumatic event gave us a luminous, decades-long solo career that moved seamlessly from oblique art-rock to sumptuous electronica, pastoral instrumentals, and soundtrack music. —Spin Staff, SPIN, 1 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Latin pastoralis, from pastor herdsman

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

Rhymes for pastoral

• pastorale

Kids Definition

pastoral

1 of 2 adjective

pas·​to·​ral ˈpas-t(ə-)rəl 

1

a

: of or relating to shepherds or rural life

b

: devoted to or based on livestock raising

2

: of or relating to the pastor of a church

pastoral

2 of 2 noun

pas·​to·​ral

ˈpas-t(ə-)rəl

sense 3 is often ˌpas-tə-ˈräl, 

-ˈral

1

: a literary work dealing with shepherds or rural life

2

: a rural picture or scene

3

: pastorale