1
as in rural
of, relating to, associated with, or typical of open areas with few buildings or people
painted a pastoral scene of a flower-filled meadow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in ministerial
of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy
pastoral advice to a young couple preparing to marry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in pastorale
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pastoral
Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
The reforms have been examined through a structure called the Synod of Bishops, which has been the primary vehicle through which the pope has implemented his pastoral agenda during his papacy.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
For those who make the trek, the week will be filled with events ranging from the pastoral to the glamourous to the overtly highbrow.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 25 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Adjective
From his choice of a single wooden coffin to burial outside the Vatican, the funeral ceremonies underscore his efforts to reshape the image of the papacy away from grandeur and toward pastoral service.
—Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
The reforms have been examined through a structure called the Synod of Bishops, which has been the primary vehicle through which the pope has implemented his pastoral agenda during his papacy.
—Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 23 Apr. 2025
Noun
Science emerges as a version of the pastoral, with the physicist as swain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
For those who make the trek, the week will be filled with events ranging from the pastoral to the glamourous to the overtly highbrow.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 25 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
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With the coming Upper House election this summer, the LDP may be reluctant to alienate its rural voter base.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
8 May 2025
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Our family, a conservative one living in rural North Carolina, was an NPR (National Public Radio) family.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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The Glazers were driven in the ministerial car while Gill walked down Whitehall and queued up at St Stephen’s entrance.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
11 May 2025
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Requiring ministerial approval means removing appeals, boards, and other bureaucratic argle bargle that just adds costs and friction to the development process.—
Roger Valdez,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Noun
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Each had an alfresco dining area and a view over the Lago di Burano Nature Reserve wetlands to the line of dunes that separates this coastal idyll from the beach.—
Lee Marshall,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
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The idyll was hemmed in by immaculate office buildings housing high-profile Hollywood and tech tenants including Amazon, Oracle and AMC Networks.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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It’s remained in the company’s repertoire for decades, and the use of Coltrane’s elegy for the love of her life has made that music into two dirges, one for husband John Coltrane and another for the woman on the invisible mourner’s bench honoring and channeling him for the rest of her days.—
Harmony Holiday,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2025
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Lucas’s final film is a kind of elegy for an entire style of personal blockbuster filmmaking, Williams’ funeral music in the last moments fitting for the director’s last moments behind the camera.—
Christian Blauvelt,
IndieWire,
28 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The funeral of Pope Francis began with a short musical chant and psalm spoken in Latin after an open Book of the Gospels had been placed on top of Pope Francis’ closed coffin carried by pallbearers from inside St. Peter’s and placed on a red carpet on the edge of the church steps.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
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The faithful will recite several religious verses, including psalm 22, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd,’ during the service.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This is a lovely fundraiser to assist in the preservation of the cemetery, and the day is filled with master gardeners offering advice, madrigals singing, an archaeology talk, refreshments, kids’ activities and lots of lovely spring plants for sale.—
Janet Kusterer,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Mar. 2025
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The service and concert will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the church, 815 S. Washington St. Castle Singers are vocalists who perform a variety of chamber repertoire, varying from Renaissance madrigals and motets to contemporary pop and vocal jazz.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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This innovative approach results in a captivating and complex epic primarily in Japanese, a remarkable example of global collaboration and storytelling prowess.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
1 May 2025
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Try listening to Carpentaria as an audiobook; the novel unfolds like an oral epic, more thematic than linear, slowly introducing its characters.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2025
Noun
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The Flying Stag Located inside The Fife Arms, The Flying Stag is an ode to the hotel’s former life as a hunting lodge.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
3 May 2025
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The Hammer & The Rose culminates in an ode to Andersen’s father, who’s now 77.—
Garret K. Woodward,
Rolling Stone,
30 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 16 May. 2025.
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