procedural

1 of 2

adjective

pro·​ce·​dur·​al prə-ˈsē-jə-rəl How to pronounce procedural (audio)
-ˈsēj-rəl
: of or relating to procedure
especially : of or relating to the procedure used by courts or other bodies administering substantive law
procedurally adverb

procedural

2 of 2

noun

: a realist crime novel, film, or television drama with a specific focus
a courtroom procedural
especially : police procedural

Examples of procedural in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
The first season of the firefighter procedural will be available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. beginning August 1. Emily Longeretta, Variety, 16 July 2024 But the move, which is largely procedural, is believed to be related to a massive and long-running federal lawsuit in New York alleging the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia supported the 9/11 terrorists. Alex Riggins, The Mercury News, 12 July 2024
Noun
For anyone who wants more legal procedurals gone wrong, check out Liar Liar. Keith Langston, Peoplemag, 6 July 2024 Audiences absolutely like watching their favorite shows again and again — but this was true even when the new shows on TV were also 22-episode sitcoms and procedurals. Josef Adalian, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for procedural 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'procedural.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1876, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1963, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of procedural was in 1876

Dictionary Entries Near procedural

Cite this Entry

“Procedural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procedural. Accessed 27 Jul. 2024.

Medical Definition

procedural

adjective
pro·​ce·​dur·​al prə-ˈsēj-(ə-)rəl How to pronounce procedural (audio)
: relating to or comprising memory or knowledge concerned with how to manipulate symbols, concepts, and rules to accomplish a task or solve a problem compare declarative

Legal Definition

procedural

adjective
pro·​ce·​dur·​al prə-ˈsē-jə-rəl How to pronounce procedural (audio)
: of or relating to procedure
sentence reversed as result of procedural error in sentencingNational Law Journal
compare substantive
procedurally adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on procedural

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