PAPAL Synonyms: 38 Similar and Opposite Words

papal

adjective

Definition of papal

as in episcopal

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of papal Under church law, consecrating bishops without papal approval is considered a schismatic act and carries automatic excommunication for both the bishops being ordained and the bishop performing the ceremony. — Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026 In 1988 the group ordained four bishops without papal approval, which led to their excommunication. — Christopher Lamb, CNN Money, 30 June 2026 The story unfolds amid the frenzy surrounding an impending papal visit. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 26 June 2026 Not city officials or the Georgia Department of Transportation, but a mixture of FIFA, broadcasters and maybe the papal conclave. — Doug Turnbull, AJC.com, 21 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for papal

Recent Examples of Synonyms for papal

Adjective

After returning to the United States, Novakovic attended an Episcopal boarding school in San Antonio, Texas.

— byRachel Cole, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 May 2026
On New Year’s Eve in 1996, Christou followed Deadbeat with a club at a former Episcopal church that was built in 1865.

— Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 26 Feb. 2026

Definition of episcopal

Adjective

Leo opened his visit to Pompeii by meeting with sick and disabled people who are cared for by a charity center affiliated with the sanctuary, which Leo’s namesake, Pope Leo XIII, declared a pontifical basilica in 1901.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 May 2026
That public spat has overshadowed his pontifical tour of four African countries, which ended Thursday with a Mass for thousands of people in Malabo, the former capital of Equatorial Guinea.

— Claudio Lavanga, NBC news, 23 Apr. 2026

Definition of pontifical

Adjective

On June 2, 1979, Pope John Paul II set out from Rome on an apostolic journey, as papal trips away from the Vatican are called.

— Paul Elie, New Yorker, 8 May 2026
The leader of the Roman Catholic Church directed his remarks to university students at the Catholic University of Central Africa in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon, during an 11-day apostolic journey in Africa.

— Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026

Definition of apostolic

Adjective

The union represents over 250,000 classified public school employees, like bus drivers, custodians, food service workers, para-educators, clerical staff and campus security guards.

— Nollyanne Delacruz, Mercury News, 15 July 2026
In the public notice announcing the ship’s passengers, Joseph Shiers was transformed into Joseph Shires—perhaps a clerical error, perhaps a hint of his tendency toward reinvention.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026

Definition of clerical

Adjective

Whatever the outcome of the ministerial meeting, there is no version that will make Americans safer.

— Jason M. Blazakis, The Conversation, 22 July 2026
For avid politicos, there have been so many prime ministerial resignations over the last few years that some Downing Street staff have become like fan-favorite, recurring characters in a TV show.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 20 July 2026

Definition of ministerial

Adjective

Parsi priesthood is hereditary, meaning all the boys here have been born into priestly families.

— Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 21 June 2026
Before heading to seminary and taking up the priestly collar, Borba enjoyed red carpets and professional acclaim for his business acumen.

— David Begnaud, CBS News, 15 June 2026

Definition of priestly

Adjective

Tony Pérez is an evangelical pastor in Reading, Pennsylvania, a city whose population is about seventy per cent Latino.

— Jack Herrera, New Yorker, 14 July 2026
Although Republicans remained a minority in the early 1990s, demographic change, evangelical mobilization and suburban realignment were steadily improving their prospects.

— Christopher A. Cooper, The Conversation, 14 July 2026

Definition of evangelical

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papa

papal

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“Papal.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/papal. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of papal

adjective

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