parliamentary
adjective
par·lia·men·ta·ry
ˌpär-lə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē 
also ˌpärl-yə-
1
a
: of or relating to a parliament
parliamentary elections
parliamentary debate
b
: enacted, done, or ratified by a parliament
a parliamentary grant of money
2
: of or adhering to the parliament as opposed to the king during the English Civil War
… rendered the parliamentary armies … victorious.—
David Hume
3
: of, based on, or having the characteristics of parliamentary government
parliamentary democracy
4
: of or relating to members of a parliament
a parliamentary committee
… have the leader selected by the Parliamentary caucus.—London Times
5
: of or according to parliamentary law
parliamentary procedure
Examples of parliamentary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The martial law declaration, which triggered swift parliamentary opposition and political turmoil, evoked traumatic memories of South Korea’s military dictatorship era.
—Hyung-Jin Kim, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2026
The Islamic Action Front, a political party linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, won several seats in the 2024 parliamentary elections.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026
China's top leaders are due to formalize economic targets for the year at an annual parliamentary meeting in March.
—Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026
The Shah promised to correct the regime’s mistakes, liberate political prisoners, call parliamentary elections, investigate the corruption in his midst, and ease the crackdown on dissent against a nationwide opposition.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 11 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Parliamentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parliamentary. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
Kids Definition
parliamentary
adjective
par·lia·men·ta·ry
ˌpär-lə-ˈment-ə-rē
-ˈmen-trē
also ˌpärl-yə-
1
: of, relating to, or enacted by a parliament
2
: of or relating to government by a cabinet whose members belong to and are responsible to the legislature
3
: of or according to the rules governing the way in which official meetings (as of a parliament or congress) are conducted
parliamentary procedure
Legal Definition
parliamentary
adjective
par·lia·men·ta·ry
ˌpär-lə-ˈmen-tə-rē, ˌpärl-yə-
1
a
: of or relating to a parliament
b
: enacted, done, or ratified by a parliament
2
: of, based on, or having the characteristics of parliamentary government
3
: of or relating to the members of a parliament
4
: of or according to parliamentary law
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