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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pastoral
Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Her drawings of pastoral childhood scenes caught the eye of Franz Goebel, who decided to bring these charming moments in time to life.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2025
Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
For those who make the trek, the week will be filled with events ranging from the pastoral to the glamourous to the overtly highbrow.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 25 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Adjective
There is already much speculation about whom the cardinals will select and whether that new pope will continue Francis’ pastoral priorities of concern for the poor and reform of the Vatican bureaucracy.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2025
Her drawings of pastoral childhood scenes caught the eye of Franz Goebel, who decided to bring these charming moments in time to life.
—Patricia Shannon, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Apr. 2025
Noun
Science emerges as a version of the pastoral, with the physicist as swain.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024
For those who make the trek, the week will be filled with events ranging from the pastoral to the glamourous to the overtly highbrow.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 25 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
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The series is set in rural Texas and dives into the lives of small-town residents.—
Maggie Horton,
People.com,
26 Apr. 2025
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Democrats have conceded that rural voters feel abandoned by the stereotype that Democrats only care about the coastal elites.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
26 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The British Foreign Office confirmed that ministerial Ukraine peace talks with U.S. and European counterparts were postponed and downgraded to behind-the-scenes meetings with officials.—
Alexis Simendinger,
The Hill,
23 Apr. 2025
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Aimee had three ministerial assistants and a board of seven elders, along with 21 deacons — 14 of them women.—
Claire Hoffman,
Rolling Stone,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Each had an alfresco dining area and a view over the Lago di Burano Nature Reserve wetlands to the line of dunes that separates this coastal idyll from the beach.—
Lee Marshall,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2025
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The idyll was hemmed in by immaculate office buildings housing high-profile Hollywood and tech tenants including Amazon, Oracle and AMC Networks.—
Daniel Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The title is borrowed from Elizabeth Alexander’s fourth collection persona poems, historical narratives, jazz riffs, sonnets, elegies, and a sequence of ars poetica which examines the Black experience through the lens of the slave rebellion on the Amistad and nineteenth-century American art.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
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Eephus is an elegy, but with just the barest hint of sentimentality—a shrugging send-off that simultaneously cares deeply about America’s pastime.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The funeral of Pope Francis began with a short musical chant and psalm spoken in Latin after an open Book of the Gospels had been placed on top of Pope Francis’ closed coffin carried by pallbearers from inside St. Peter’s and placed on a red carpet on the edge of the church steps.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
26 Apr. 2025
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The faithful will recite several religious verses, including psalm 22, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd,’ during the service.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN Money,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
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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
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The service and concert will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, at the church, 815 S. Washington St. Castle Singers are vocalists who perform a variety of chamber repertoire, varying from Renaissance madrigals and motets to contemporary pop and vocal jazz.—
Aurora Beacon-News,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Try listening to Carpentaria as an audiobook; the novel unfolds like an oral epic, more thematic than linear, slowly introducing its characters.—
Bekah Waalkes,
The Atlantic,
1 May 2025
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This innovative approach results in a captivating and complex epic primarily in Japanese, a remarkable example of global collaboration and storytelling prowess.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
1 May 2025
Noun
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Tour the historic penthouse that is an ode to Old Hollywood glamour.—
Lisa Boone,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Apr. 2025
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All of the 470 guestrooms and suites have been redesigned and are an ode to the spirit of Madrid.—
Angelina Villa-Clarke,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 7 May. 2025.
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