pro·ce·dur·al
prə-ˈsē-jə-rəl 
-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
: 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
Molly Quell, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
The procedural, which follows firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics at Chicago Fire Department's fictional Firehouse 51, is in its 12th season on NBC.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The Office of Dispute Resolution investigates procedural violations of the federal law outlining special education requirements.
—Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Rome Flynn, who portrayed Jake Gibson in the NBC procedural, made his final appearance during the March 27 episode.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
With those procedural issues settled, Judge Pittman ruled on the case in November — and sided decisively with Sony.
—Bill Donahue, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
If the upper chamber cannot reach unanimous consent on how much time to spend on those amendments before a vote Friday, Schumer would probably have to tee up a vote for Sunday or even Monday instead, because of Senate procedural rules.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
In 2020, the Lowe brothers began working together on Fox's procedural drama, 9-1-1: Lone Star.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
There are procedural answers to this question that Schwartz gives me—for example, he was allowed to wear a suit during the trial and began wearing prison clothes once convicted.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Audiences still showed up for the networks’ talent shows and procedurals, but the entertainment Zeitgeist was drifting away from traditional prime time.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The stories can be predictable, which is in itself predictable, or a little silly, not unusual among episodic procedurals, and perfectly acceptable.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
After more than 400 episodes on Law & Order, the actor behind Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy said farewell to the legal procedural on Thursday's episode.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
Katherine Waterston Says Dad Sam Waterston's Passion for Acting Inspired Her to Follow in His Footsteps
Waterston, 83, portrayed iconic District Attorney Jack McCoy from the NBC procedural's fifths season in 1994 through its initial cancellation in 2010.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024
Together, the two series may herald a new hybrid genre befitting the end of TV’s prestige era: the cinematic procedural, which returns to the simpler, more episodic plots of network-style programming but retains streaming’s lavish budgets.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Moreover, procedurals require a deft balance: An episode centers on the drama surrounding the case (or disease or disaster) of the week, as tackled by characters that have ongoing plotlines and deep backstories.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 1 Feb. 2024
And 2023 has dropped dozens of other worthwhile shows too, spanning a variety of genres for audiences of all stripes, from medical procedurals to period Westerns, political thrillers to time-traveling romances.
—TIME, 27 Dec. 2023
Adjective
The European Court of Human Rights rejected two other, similar cases on procedural grounds — a high-profile one brought by Portuguese young people and another by a French mayor that sought to force governments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
—Molly Quell, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
The procedural, which follows firefighters, rescue personnel and paramedics at Chicago Fire Department's fictional Firehouse 51, is in its 12th season on NBC.
—USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2024
The Office of Dispute Resolution investigates procedural violations of the federal law outlining special education requirements.
—Nick Sullivan, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Rome Flynn, who portrayed Jake Gibson in the NBC procedural, made his final appearance during the March 27 episode.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 1 Apr. 2024
With those procedural issues settled, Judge Pittman ruled on the case in November — and sided decisively with Sony.
—Bill Donahue, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2024
If the upper chamber cannot reach unanimous consent on how much time to spend on those amendments before a vote Friday, Schumer would probably have to tee up a vote for Sunday or even Monday instead, because of Senate procedural rules.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024
In 2020, the Lowe brothers began working together on Fox's procedural drama, 9-1-1: Lone Star.
—Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024
There are procedural answers to this question that Schwartz gives me—for example, he was allowed to wear a suit during the trial and began wearing prison clothes once convicted.
—Allie Garfinkle, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
There are dramas and procedurals, sci-fi galore, and enough historical epics to keep you occupied well into summer.
—Vogue, 21 Mar. 2024
Audiences still showed up for the networks’ talent shows and procedurals, but the entertainment Zeitgeist was drifting away from traditional prime time.
—Molly Fischer, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024
The stories can be predictable, which is in itself predictable, or a little silly, not unusual among episodic procedurals, and perfectly acceptable.
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024
After more than 400 episodes on Law & Order, the actor behind Manhattan District Attorney Jack McCoy said farewell to the legal procedural on Thursday's episode.
—Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 22 Feb. 2024
Katherine Waterston Says Dad Sam Waterston's Passion for Acting Inspired Her to Follow in His Footsteps
Waterston, 83, portrayed iconic District Attorney Jack McCoy from the NBC procedural's fifths season in 1994 through its initial cancellation in 2010.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2024
Together, the two series may herald a new hybrid genre befitting the end of TV’s prestige era: the cinematic procedural, which returns to the simpler, more episodic plots of network-style programming but retains streaming’s lavish budgets.
—Inkoo Kang, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2024
Moreover, procedurals require a deft balance: An episode centers on the drama surrounding the case (or disease or disaster) of the week, as tackled by characters that have ongoing plotlines and deep backstories.
—Emily Longeretta, Variety, 1 Feb. 2024
And 2023 has dropped dozens of other worthwhile shows too, spanning a variety of genres for audiences of all stripes, from medical procedurals to period Westerns, political thrillers to time-traveling romances.
—TIME, 27 Dec. 2023
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.
Dictionary Entries Near procedural
Cite this Entry
“Procedural.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/procedural. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
procedural
adjective
pro·ce·dur·al
prə-ˈsēj-(ə-)rəl
: 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
: of or relating to procedure
sentence reversed as result of procedural error in sentencing—National Law Journal
compare substantive
National Law Journal
procedurally
adverb
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