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
Related Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pastoral
Matt Thompson, SPIN, 4 May 2026
Cogan is joined by dreamily pastoral artist Angelica Rockne (with shades of Weyes Blood running thick) at Stardust Station on May 16.
—Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Sep. 2025
His voice is the ghost in the machine, a strangely humane presence amid all the urban-industrial pastoral.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Adjective
And his film was very pastoral.
—Matt Thompson, SPIN, 4 May 2026
Cogan is joined by dreamily pastoral artist Angelica Rockne (with shades of Weyes Blood running thick) at Stardust Station on May 16.
—Aaron Davis, Sacbee.com, 1 May 2026
Noun
The pastoral, yet bittersweet lament has turned into something of an emotionally restorative California wildfire reflection.
—Marcus K. Dowling, Nashville Tennessean, 11 Sep. 2025
His voice is the ghost in the machine, a strangely humane presence amid all the urban-industrial pastoral.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
-
There were 46 in football, mostly among small schools in rural areas.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
-
The money has been highly anticipated in North Carolina, where most residents live in rural counties.—
Sarah Jane Tribble,
NPR,
22 May 2026
Adjective
-
On Tuesday in New Delhi, Rubio will participate in the ministerial meeting of the Quad that has repeatedly accused China of flexing its military muscles in the South China Sea and aggressively pushing its maritime territorial claims.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 May 2026
-
As the adrenaline levels rose on Monday and Tuesday, and the familiar choreography of another British political crisis began to play out—ministerial resignations, spiky statements on X—the collateral damage that Starmer had warned against started to encroach, once again, upon the scene.—
Sam Knight,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Including 55 serious operas, 6 cantatas, 53 comic operas, 17 operettas, 6 sing-spiele, 4 ballets, 4 vaudevilles, 2 oratorios, one each of fares, pastorales, masques, ballads and buffas.—
WILLIAM ROBIN,
New York Times,
1 Sep. 2017
Noun
-
These are not pretty, chintzy designs referencing a pastoral idyll.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 May 2026
-
Surrounded by mature trees, dense greenery, and high walls, the grounds create a private, park-like idyll with sloping lawns, spacious terraces, and views toward the Hollywood Hills and Griffith Park Observatory, with a swimming pool at the center of the estate.—
Mark David,
Robb Report,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
To say an elegy by heart/to zero our dying before birth.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The show, a sort of elegy for Gen X, opens with a flash-forward to July 16, 1999, the final hours of Carolyn and John.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The epitome of that tradition is Choral Evensong, an evening service of hymns, psalms and prayers laid out by Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, the first Protestant archbishop of the Church of England, in 1549.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
After all, audiences may be captivated by the psalm singing itself, but then can also find more things that capture their imagination in the observational doc.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The Spiritual Sound Marc-André Hamelin, Found Objects / Sound Objects The Beths, Straight Line Was a Lie A year like no other, my 2025 in music was filled with joyous arias and madrigals of melancholy.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
29 Dec. 2025
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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
Noun
-
Carlos Alcaraz, the two-time defending champion at Roland Garros—including his stunning comeback in last year’s five-and-a-half-hour epic against Jannik Sinner, the longest final in the tournament’s history—will not be swinging for the fences on the terre battue of Paris this year.—
Corey Seymour,
Vogue,
25 May 2026
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For her latest novel, the Irish writer has crafted another historical family epic rooted in tragedy, this time inspired by the landscape of her home country.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
24 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 26 May. 2026.
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