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
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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
Clayton Davis, Variety, 11 Dec. 2025
According to WorldAtlas, Townsend’s pastoral charm is best discovered on a leisurely drive along the Cades Cove Scenic Loop, an 11‑mile route winding through mountain landscapes and wildlife habitats.
—Diana Leyva, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Dec. 2025
Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
Elsewhere, Abercrombie’s pastorals are almost like burlesques of plein air painting.
—Jeremy Lybarger, ARTnews.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pastoral
Adjective
His relationship with grief — his own and the pain others share with him — is almost pastoral.
—Noun
His voice is the ghost in the machine, a strangely humane presence amid all the urban-industrial pastoral.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for pastoral
Adjective
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Kogo said the rural intersection of Broward and Palm Beach counties is vulnerable because there are large snakes there, and still a good number of large prey, such as raccoons, bobcats and deer.—
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The rural highway was closed in both directions while the crash was investigated and the wreckage cleared.—
Adjective
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Government and industry alignment To manage the program, South Korea recently set up an inter-ministerial coordination body bringing together defense, industry, and aviation authorities.—
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Lavrov said earlier the ministerial conference launched talks aimed at developing an action plan for cooperation for the years 2026-2029.—
Noun
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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.—
Noun
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But while Provo has become developed, its neighbors, Parrish assured me, remain timeless idylls, their empty interiors encircled by endless beaches fringed with casuarina trees.—
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Peppered with archival drawings of The Sea Ranch, quotations from the utopian community’s founding architects, and evocative family photographs, the document eloquently illuminates the Matases’ vision for their seaside idyll.—
Noun
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These books can be read as comedies of cognitive dissonance or as melancholy elegies for the very possibility of closure.—
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Public Theater Else Went’s epic elegy to the great loves and losses of high school captured a certain moment — the precarious turn of the millennium — and a certain kind of teenage terror and heartache with precision and compassion.—
Noun
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Each song presents a lyrical tapestry that carries messages from God, frequently drawing upon references to biblical psalms.—
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Muir read a psalm for protection and remarked on how journalists write the first draft of history while often covering trying events within the community.—
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.—
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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.—
Noun
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An epic with supernatural and epigenetic overtones, this debut novel looks like a feast of a story.—
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The third chapter in James Cameron’s Pandora epic collected $40 million over its third weekend in North American theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.—
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pastoral. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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