Synonyms of magisterial

magisterial

adjective

ˌma-jə-ˈstir-ē-əl 

as in authoritative

being the most accurate and apparently thorough

a magisterial biography of Thomas Jefferson that has never been superseded

Synonyms & Similar Words

• authoritative
• classical
• definitive
• classic
• comprehensive
• official
• accurate
• conclusive
• decisive
• correct
• approved
• exhaustive
• complete
• sanctioned
• thorough

Synonym Chooser

How does the adjective magisterial contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of magisterial are dictatorial, doctrinaire, dogmatic, and oracular. While all these words mean "imposing one's will or opinions on others," magisterial stresses assumption or use of prerogatives appropriate to a magistrate or schoolmaster in forcing acceptance of one's opinions.

the magisterial tone of his pronouncements

When is it sensible to use dictatorial instead of magisterial?

The words dictatorial and magisterial can be used in similar contexts, but dictatorial stresses autocratic, high-handed methods and a domineering manner.

exercised dictatorial control over the office

When would doctrinaire be a good substitute for magisterial?

While in some cases nearly identical to magisterial, doctrinaire implies a disposition to follow abstract theories in framing laws or policies affecting people.

a doctrinaire approach to improving the economy

In what contexts can dogmatic take the place of magisterial?

While the synonyms dogmatic and magisterial are close in meaning, dogmatic implies being unduly and offensively positive in laying down principles and expressing opinions.

dogmatic about what is art and what is not

When might oracular be a better fit than magisterial?

Although the words oracular and magisterial have much in common, oracular implies the manner of one who delivers opinions in cryptic phrases or with pompous dogmatism.

a designer who is the oracular voice of fashion

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of magisterial

Image Memento Mori by Muriel Spark Few writers were as capable of scalpel-sharp dissection of the rich as the Scottish novelist Muriel Spark, whose magisterial social satires remain relevant even half a century later. —Calum Marsh, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025

Writing on the seventieth anniversary of the war’s end, in the preface to his magisterial The German War (2015), Oxford’s Nicholas Stargardt described the book’s genesis a decade earlier, in 2005. —Chris Doyle, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2025

The most complete studies were done by the British archaeologist and scholar Thomas Ashby, who scoured the remotest corners of the Roman Campagna from 1906 to 1925, and produced a magisterial tome, The Aqueducts of Ancient Rome, which was published posthumously by his wife in 1935. —Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Mar. 2025

Heston’s square-jawed nobility was rarely better exploited — not even a cameo from Jesus near the end can overshadow his magisterial heroism. —Will Leitch, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2025