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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pastoral
Sanggay Tashi, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
There is something almost pastoral about watching modern show jumping on grass.
—Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Who would not raise a glass to the memory of so vexed a merrymaker, under whose spell the city is transformed into an exotic pastoral?
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Adjective
Now, with vast open landscapes and high elevations that provide ideal conditions for harnessing solar and wind energy, many pastoral lands have become key sites for large-scale renewable energy projects.
—Sanggay Tashi, The Conversation, 11 June 2026
There is something almost pastoral about watching modern show jumping on grass.
—Tilly Berendt, New York Times, 11 June 2026
Noun
But in their own ways, these two very different actors — she, the eccentric spirit of New Hollywood comedy; he, the golden-boy stoic of the American pastoral — were bound by something even more powerful than onscreen chemistry: generational gravity.
—Benjamin Svetkey, HollywoodReporter, 22 Oct. 2025
Who would not raise a glass to the memory of so vexed a merrymaker, under whose spell the city is transformed into an exotic pastoral?
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
-
The air can be so quiet in the Bates County town of Butler, a rural community of 4,400 one hour south of Kansas City, that when the skydivers, often strapped in tandem, pop their chutes, neighbors Daniel and Kendra Stewart can hear the wafting sound of them filling with air.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
15 June 2026
-
Butler Memorial Airport is a small, rural airport about an hour’s drive south of Kansas City.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
Adjective
-
The ministerial list was announced by his new prime minister, economist Ahmadou Al Aminou Lo.—
Jenny Vaughan,
semafor.com,
2 June 2026
-
Others, like German chief of defense General Carsten Breuer, said that China is losing a chance at dialogue by not having a ministerial-level delegation.—
Lim Hui Jie,Joanna Ossinger,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Including 55 serious operas, 6 cantatas, 53 comic operas, 17 operettas, 6 sing-spiele, 4 ballets, 4 vaudevilles, 2 oratorios, one each of fares, pastorales, masques, ballads and buffas.—
WILLIAM ROBIN,
New York Times,
1 Sep. 2017
Noun
-
If powder-white beaches, turquoise waters, and lush jungles are at the top of your travel itinerary, the following 11 idylls are must-gos, where nature is at its most relaxed and pleasurable.—
Skyli Alvarez,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 May 2026
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Rescuing utopian idyll from dystopian reality, Koreeda determines that humanity is too fragile to forfeit its defining qualities to a mechanical species; that our only viable function in an artificial tomorrow is as the eternal caretakers of memory and imagination.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Noun
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When The Last Ship, a musical that serves as an elegy to Wallsend, the hardscrabble Northern England shipyard town Sting grew up in, debuted on Broadway in 2014, the critical reception was disappointing.—
Devon Ivie,
Vulture,
4 June 2026
-
Tom Sturridge, Rebecca Hall, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and newcomer Luther Ford co-star in this elegy defiantly tethered to life.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Over the course of Gregory Orr’s long career, his poems have become increasingly incantatory, more and more like chants or psalms, repeating, reformulating, reaching for the edges of the same rich metaphors.—
Craig Morgan Teicher,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Spiritual Sound Marc-André Hamelin, Found Objects / Sound Objects The Beths, Straight Line Was a Lie A year like no other, my 2025 in music was filled with joyous arias and madrigals of melancholy.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2025
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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
Noun
-
Kenji Tanigaki’s Hong Kong epic, which opens in American theaters today via Lionsgate Films, stars some of the world’s most talented martial artists fighting quickly as a steady camera follows, ditching any blurriness that might come from lesser hands.—
William Earl,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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His career spanning popular blockbusters and prestige dramas has shaped the visual language of science fiction, historical epic, and contemporary thriller across fifty years without ever producing a competitive Academy win.—
Hannah Abraham,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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