pastoral
adjective
pas·to·ral
| \ ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl
, nonstandard pa-ˈstȯr-əl\
, nonstandard pa-ˈstȯr-əl\
Definition of pastoral
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a(1)
: of, relating to, or composed of shepherds or herdsmen
a pastoral people, seminomadic in their habits— J. M. Mogey
(2)
: devoted to or based on livestock raising
a pastoral economy
b
: of or relating to the countryside : not urban
a pastoral setting
c
: portraying or expressive of the life of shepherds or country people especially in an idealized and conventionalized manner
pastoral poetry a pastoral symphony
d
: pleasingly peaceful and innocent : idyllic
pastoral dreams were shattered by the year's round of … unwelcome visitors, ruinous floods and procrastinating workmen— Betty Fussell
2a
: of or relating to spiritual care or guidance especially of a congregation
pastoral counseling
b
: of or relating to the pastor of a church
pastoral duties
pastoral
noun
\ ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl
; sense 1d is often ˌpa-stə-ˈräl, -ˈral
\
; sense 1d is often ˌpa-stə-ˈräl, -ˈral
\
Definition of pastoral (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: a literary work (such as a poem or play) dealing with shepherds or rural life in a usually artificial manner and typically drawing a contrast between the innocence and serenity of the simple life and the misery and corruption of city and especially court life
b
: pastoral poetry or drama
c
: a rural picture or scene
2
: crosier sense 1
3
: a letter of a pastor to his charge: such as
a
: a letter addressed by a bishop to his diocese
b
: a letter of the house of bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church to be read in each parish
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Other Words from pastoral
Adjective
pastorally
\ ˈpa-st(ə-)rə-lē
\
adverb
\
adverb
pastoralness
noun
Synonyms & Antonyms for pastoral
Synonyms: Adjective
bucolic, country, rural, rustic (also rustical)
Antonyms: Adjective
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Examples of pastoral in a Sentence
Adjective
The house is situated in a charming pastoral setting. Her favorite painting in the collection is a pastoral landscape. The bishop outlined the church's views in a pastoral letter.
Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective
Schumann’s pastoral idyll, with its forests and flowers, is still there, but this version gives new meaning to the gentle longing that runs through the work like a river. — Oussama Zahr, The New Yorker, "Fall Classical-Music Preview," 16 Aug. 2019 My role is to encourage the church at every level to become informed and active in preventing gun violence, to provide pastoral care for victims and survivors, and to seek a spiritual response to resist violence and seek Christ. — Adeel Hassan, BostonGlobe.com, "‘Thoughts and prayers’ aren’t enough, America’s first gun violence minister says," 28 July 2019 When thinking of streetwear, 18th-century French landscapes and pastoral scenes don’t usually come to mind. — Kate Mcgregor, ELLE Decor, "A Fun New Clothing Collection from ED A-Lister Sheila Bridges," 12 July 2019 The story is a fictional gloss on the story of the real Viktor Tsoi (the swoony Teo Yoo), who helped lead the rock revolt in grungy clubs, jam sessions and pastoral idylls. — Manohla Dargis, New York Times, "The Best and Worst of Cannes, Maybe Coming to a Theater Near You," 17 May 2018 These committees provide clinical papers and information, facilitate consultations between physicians, make presentations, clarify ethical issues, and arrange for pastoral care, according to the website. — Serena O'sullivan, azcentral, "Here are 6 things to know about the 40K Jehovah's Witnesses coming to Phoenix," 9 Aug. 2019 Like all sacraments, said Pietrzyk, an assistant professor of pastoral studies at St. Patrick’s Seminary & University in Menlo Park, confession was divinely ordained. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "‘I confess': should the ‘seal of the confessional’ protect pedophiles?," 4 Aug. 2019 There is also people-watching — my favorite sport — plus the pastoral canyon light, the doves and sparrows, the black sage and sugarbush on the hill. — Los Angeles Times, "Hollywood Bowl rehearsals are a soothing morning escape. And they’re free," 1 Aug. 2019 Now Garcia, 69, is entering a new stage of his life, retired from his pastoral duties at Mission Concepción but maintaining an office at the Oblate School of Theology to continue visiting with students and writing about his experiences. — Scott Huddleston, ExpressNews.com, "Father David’s role grew from San Antonio parish priest to major community leader," 8 July 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Now a new documentary will look at the history of this genre, in which the pastoral is routinely entwined with the painful. — Clark Collis, EW.com, "Before Midsommar: New documentary to tell the history of folk-horror genre," 10 July 2019 However, Hamilton's Thomas Kail lost out in the best directing race to Sam Mendes for Jez Butterworth's modern Irish pastoral, The Ferryman, which is scheduled to transfer to Broadway in the fall. — Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, "The Olivier Awards 2018: Full List of Winners," 8 Apr. 2018 The result is something that is looser and more open-ended, less hard science fiction than a dreamy kind of science pastoral, albeit one populated with mutant crocodiles. — George Pendle, Esquire, "Alex Garland Mutated Annihilation Into a Psychedelic Sci-Fi Horror," 21 Feb. 2018 Ashbery chose fractured pastoral; Rich extracted metaphors from geology, archaeology, astronomy and biology. — Wayne Koestenbaum, New York Times, "Book Review Newsletter," 15 July 2016These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pastoral.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for pastoral
pastoral
adjective
English Language Learners Definition of pastoral
: of or relating to the countryside or to the lives of people who live in the country
: of or relating to the spiritual care or guidance of people who are members of a religious group
: of or relating to the pastor of a church
See the full definition for pastoral in the English Language Learners Dictionary