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
James Poniewozik, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
The cottage's quiet location is perfect for taking in the pastoral Wisconsin countryside — after all, Wright hoped that his designs would inspire residents and visitors alike to feel more connected with their natural surroundings.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2024
Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
This blend of the pastoral and the religious made the Senegal River feel like an archaic vision of paradise, a strip of vivid life in an otherwise unforgiving environment.
—J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for pastoral 
Adjective
The president’s interviews with Bill Moyers and Barbara Walters refracted a 1970s introspection through the pastoral voice of a longtime Sunday school teacher.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 30 Dec. 2024
The cottage's quiet location is perfect for taking in the pastoral Wisconsin countryside — after all, Wright hoped that his designs would inspire residents and visitors alike to feel more connected with their natural surroundings.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
As with Home, the story is about a return to the pastoral, at least ostensibly: Marina (Maggie Siff, always two ticks better than her material) is a broadcast journalist who’s trying to settle down after a career spent in war zones.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 June 2024
This blend of the pastoral and the religious made the Senegal River feel like an archaic vision of paradise, a strip of vivid life in an otherwise unforgiving environment.
—J.r. Patterson, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
-
The rural setting is not just beautiful but bucolic to die for, with shots of Galicia’s coastline constantly present to counter darker scenes and contrast with Ferrol’s dockyards.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
20 Jan. 2025
-
Serbia has been shaken by the event, which highlights the vulnerability of care homes, particularly in rural areas where access to emergency services and resources may be limited.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
On October 28, 2024, the Spanish Ministry of Finance published a ministerial order specifying the technical requirements for these billing systems.—
Aleksandra Bal,
Forbes,
12 Jan. 2025
-
Its brand is now recognizable across the country from bicycle stands in cities to ministerial meetings.—
Saleem H. Ali,
Forbes,
5 Dec. 2024
Noun
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This array of circumstances — what supporters call a pastoral idyll and critics call ripe for worker abuse — has led to frequent conflict between labor advocates and ranchers in recent years.—
Ian Max Stevenson,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Jan. 2025
-
In the post-war years, growing numbers of Americans pursued a suburban idyll of modern convenience.—
David Carlin,
Forbes,
6 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
Tell, yell, hell, hello, elegy, tottle, otology, geology, theology.—
John McPhee,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Worm’s visualization of his collection, then, is an unwitting elegy of species pushed to the brink of existence by human pressures.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
8 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
He is known as the patron saint of bookbinders and wrote an illustrative book of psalms while at the monastery of St. Finnian, according to Discovering Ireland.—
Joyce Orlando,
The Tennessean,
15 Mar. 2024
-
Inside the nave, choirs sang psalms, and the cathedral’s mighty organ thundered back to life in a triumphant interplay of melodies.—
Thomas Adamson and John Leicester,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
At best, Gidden’s singing and arrangement of a Monteverdi madrigal achieve remarkable eloquence.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Sep. 2021
-
After this is a setting of a Whitman poem for chorus a cappella in the style of a sixteenth-century madrigal, followed by a section in which a line from Dante’s Inferno is sung by a vocal trio in the style of a medieval motet.—
Walter Simmons,
Harper's Magazine,
25 May 2021
Noun
-
To go from historical epics like Braveheart to this feels kind of sad.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The Brutalist filmmaker Brady Corbet — who just won Best Director at the 2025 Golden Globes — was nominated in the same category for his acclaimed historical epic.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Lai Rai, a sleek new bar on Forsyth, is an ode to two of life’s greatest pleasures—natural wine and frozen confections.—
The New Yorker,
The New Yorker,
17 Jan. 2025
-
This is, in large part thanks to iconic and spirit-lifting pieces like the 30 minute Revelations, created in 1960 to inspire our community to keep their faith in times of triumph, and Cry, a piece Mr. Ailey created as an ode to Black motherhood.—
Akili King,
Essence,
16 Jan. 2025
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Thesaurus Entries Near pastoral
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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