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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of pastoral
Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2025
His humility, courage, and pastoral heart inspired countless souls, including my own.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 May 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
Several bishops likened Pope Leo XIV to a fusion of Popes Francis and Benedict, noting his blend of intellectual rigor and pastoral warmth while highlighting his Augustinian background and canon law expertise.
—Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2025
His humility, courage, and pastoral heart inspired countless souls, including my own.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 8 May 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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Public transportation is limited, so renting a car is recommended for getting around Extremadura’s rural areas and smaller towns.—
Carlsen Jes,
Travel + Leisure,
1 June 2025
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But, whether in galleries in Johannesburg, Bulawayo, or Paris, or on the walls of huts in rural Matobo, the art form will continue, a fascinating case of a modernist art form existing outside of Western paradigms.—
Percy Zvomuya,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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The opening of federal work following the Civil Rights Movement provided an alternative to manual labor, teaching or ministerial work in the form of white-collar jobs and skills training that many took into private sector jobs.—
J. David McSwane,
ProPublica,
4 June 2025
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Wilders’ announcement that his PVV party will be leaving the coalition means that any party members holding ministerial positions in the cabinet will leave, while remaining ministers from three other parties will continue as part of a caretaker cabinet.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
3 June 2025
Noun
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Image Image Without regular mail service, none of this annual idyll would have been possible, Ms. Wirkkala said.—
Julie Lasky,
New York Times,
4 Apr. 2025
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But the idyll is illusory – Kashmir is one of the world’s most militarized regions and the trigger for multiple wars between India and Pakistan, who both claim the territory in full but control only in part.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
14 May 2025
Noun
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The Stalemate is part wacky buddy comedy, part poignant Western elegy – and just straight up a ton of fun.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2025
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It’s remained in the company’s repertoire for decades, and the use of Coltrane’s elegy for the love of her life has made that music into two dirges, one for husband John Coltrane and another for the woman on the invisible mourner’s bench honoring and channeling him for the rest of her days.—
Harmony Holiday,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 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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His 2022 family epic, Leila’s Brothers — which, like his new film, premiered in competition in Cannes — had hints of both The Godfather and the searing social dramas of Asghar Farhadi, with some of the best acting in any movie that year.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
23 May 2025
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Perhaps live-action is not the best way to adapt these long, ultimately very expensive, fantasy epics.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2025
Noun
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Louis Vuitton’s latest high-jewelry line is an ode to mastery and creativity.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
28 May 2025
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The look was an ode to Sakura, Japan’s cherry blossom season.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 11 Jun. 2025.
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