: of or relating to a pope or to the Roman Catholic Church
also
: resembling a pope or that of a pope
Examples of papal in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In a late scene, Bellini observes that every cardinal secretly has a papal name in mind.
—
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
The papal conclave also includes Stanley Tucci, Sergio Castellitto, Lucian Msamati, and John Lithgow.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2024
Watching this film is as close as most travelers will ever get to the papal conclave.
—Caroline Reilly, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2024
But an outspoken liberal (Stanley Tucci) has trouble winning votes, and the resulting action involves deft coalition-building and the papal equivalent of October surprises.
—The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for papal 
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.
Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 30 Oct. 2024
The papal conclave also includes Stanley Tucci, Sergio Castellitto, Lucian Msamati, and John Lithgow.
—Savannah Salazar, Vulture, 26 Oct. 2024
Watching this film is as close as most travelers will ever get to the papal conclave.
—Caroline Reilly, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Oct. 2024
But an outspoken liberal (Stanley Tucci) has trouble winning votes, and the resulting action involves deft coalition-building and the papal equivalent of October surprises.
—The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for papal
Dictionary Entries Near papal
Cite this Entry
“Papal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/papal. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share