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
Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Internet is handled by two Starlink towers, a nod to modern connectivity in a pastoral setting.
—David Caraccio
march 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Sep. 2025
His voice is the ghost in the machine, a strangely humane presence amid all the urban-industrial pastoral.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Adjective
Farmer was raised in Bethelsklip, in South Africa’s Northern Cape, a pastoral region lovingly captured in the frame of cinematographer Gray Kotzé.
—Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026
Internet is handled by two Starlink towers, a nod to modern connectivity in a pastoral setting.
—David Caraccio
march 4, Sacbee.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Noun
The pastoral, yet bittersweet lament has turned into something of an emotionally restorative California wildfire reflection.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Sep. 2025
His voice is the ghost in the machine, a strangely humane presence amid all the urban-industrial pastoral.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
-
Voter turnout in Vietnam’s elections is typically high, often exceeding 90%, with polling stations set up in cities, rural communities and remote regions to encourage participation.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Joshua Duckett was three years old when his father was sent to Florida’s Death Row, convicted of raping, choking and drowning a fifth-grade girl while on duty as a police officer for the small rural town of Mascotte in Lake County.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Shah, who is the RSP’s prime ministerial candidate, won the 2022 Kathmandu mayoral race.—
Binaj Gurubacharya,
Los Angeles Times,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Thaksin could be eligible for parole in May, his nephew is the party’s prime ministerial candidate.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 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
-
By lunchtime this Italian idyll had become our entire universe.—
Erin Florio,
Condé Nast Traveler,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The stately stone manor house at the heart of the private idyll was built around the turn of the 20th century for the Sulzberger family, the longtime publishers of The New York Times.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In Berceuse Parish, there are so many elegies.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The show, a sort of elegy for Gen X, opens with a flash-forward to July 16, 1999, the final hours of Carolyn and John.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
After all, audiences may be captivated by the psalm singing itself, but then can also find more things that capture their imagination in the observational doc.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Gallagher is also excited about Psalms of the People (Salim Nan Daoine), Jack Archer’s Gaelic-language documentary about Scotland’s cultural heritage of traditional Gaelic psalm singing.—
Diana Lodderhose,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Sinners cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw, 46, made history as the first woman ever to win the Best Cinematography prize for her stunning visuals in the Southern vampire epic—yet another film with layered, complex female characters.—
Helen Carefoot,
Flow Space,
16 Mar. 2026
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Upon entering the dense Finnish forest, I was introduced to the creation myth that begins the national epic of Finland and Karelia, The Kalevala – where the world is created through both songs and the becoming of organic beings.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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