pastoral 1 of 2

adjective

ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl How to pronounce pastoral (audio)
Definition of pastoralnext
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

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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

pastoral

2 of 2

noun

as in pastorale

Related Words

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 pastoral
Adjective
There were pastoral hills and forests, but the Kodachrome green leaves and blue skies had yellowed with time. — Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026 Since 2018, Bernadette and Charlotte de Geyter have been designing for themselves — and other women with their penchant for pastoral prints, bows and anything pink. — Ari Stark, Footwear News, 26 Oct. 2026
Noun
The pastoral was required reading in military academies. — Gerard F. Powers, The Conversation, 11 Feb. 2026 The pastoral, yet bittersweet lament has turned into something of an emotionally restorative California wildfire reflection. — Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
  1. rural
  2. ministerial
  3. pastorale
  4. idyll
  5. elegy
  6. psalm
  7. madrigal
  8. epic
Adjective
  • Brendt Volarvich shot and killed Stevens in November 2005 after the officer pulled him over in rural Yolo County.
    — Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 6 Nov. 2026
  • California — especially rural California — is enduring one of the most severe medical shortages in the country.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026
Definition of rural
Adjective
  • Tankers carrying Russian diesel are sailing to the United States, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is expected to attend a G20 ministerial meeting in Atlanta starting Friday, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Kamalvandi made the remarks while discussing Iran's participation in an international ministerial conference on nuclear energy in South Korea.
    — Frank Andrews, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of ministerial
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
Definition of pastorale
Noun
  • Think of it as the midcentury ideal with a new global twist, suburban idyll propped up by industrial manufacturing.
    — Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026
  • But beyond the familiar Balearics idyll, another Mallorca has been coming into focus.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of idyll
Noun
  • The result was a tapestry of bizarro folk elegies whose combination of violin, slide guitar, and the occasional lovestruck lyric sounded like tuning into AM radio in the midst of the apocalypse.
    — Henry Ivry, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2026
  • Black style passes through Gershwin and out into Nina Simone’s famous take and Bill Evans’s imperishable version, where the blues is filtered through Erik Satie’s minimalism to become a haunted, achingly beautiful elegy.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of elegy
Noun
  • During a recent morning visit, large groups of Jewish worshippers circumambulated the holy site under close police guard, singing psalms at full volume and openly praying.
    — Ilan Ben Zion, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Psalm 23 is numbered Psalm 22 in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate because of differences in how the psalms are divided and numbered.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of psalm
Noun
  • The concert will include Renaissance madrigals—one English and one French.
    — Myrna Petlicki, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
  • 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
Definition of madrigal
Noun
  • All hell broke loose when British actor Vivien Leigh was cast as beloved heroine Scarlett O’Hara in the big-screen adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s epic, Gone With the Wind.
    — Serena Turner, Vanity Fair, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Much like on Baby Keem’s Ca$ino, another recent rap epic undone by its author’s inability to overcome lingering trauma, BigX can’t always navigate around his unnamed haters.
    — Mosi Reeves, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
Definition of epic

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Cite this Entry

“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pastoral

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