pas·to·ral
ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl 
nonstandard pa-ˈstȯr-əl
1
a(1)
: of, relating to, or composed of shepherds or herdsmen
a pastoral people, seminomadic in their habits—
J. M. Mogey
J. M. Mogey
(2)
: devoted to or based on livestock raising
a pastoral economy
b
: of or relating to the countryside : not urban
a pastoral setting
c
: portraying or expressive of the life of shepherds or country people especially in an idealized and conventionalized manner
pastoral poetry
a pastoral symphony
d
: pleasingly peaceful and innocent : idyllic
pastoral dreams were shattered by the year's round of … unwelcome visitors, ruinous floods and procrastinating workmen—Betty Fussell
Betty Fussell2
a
: of or relating to spiritual care or guidance especially of a congregation
pastoral counseling
b
: of or relating to the pastor of a church
pastoral duties
pastoralness
noun
pas·to·ral
ˈpa-st(ə-)rəl
-ˈral
sense 1d is often
ˌpa-stə-ˈräl
-ˈral
plural pastorals
1
a
: a literary work (such as a poem or play) dealing with shepherds or rural life in a usually artificial manner and typically drawing a contrast between the innocence and serenity of the simple life and the misery and corruption of city and especially court life
b
: pastoral poetry or drama
c
: a rural picture or scene
2
3
: a letter of a pastor to a charge: such as
a
: a letter addressed by a bishop to the bishop's diocese
b
: a letter of the house of bishops of the Protestant Episcopal Church to be read in each parish
Examples of pastoral in a Sentence
Adjective
The house is situated in a charming pastoral setting.
Her favorite painting in the collection is a pastoral landscape.
The bishop outlined the church's views in a pastoral letter.
Recent Examples on the WebManohla Dargis, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023
Since then, his papacy has been defined by an unprecedented effort to expand the reach of the church’s pastoral ministries, including, and perhaps especially, the divorced, gay and lesbian couples, and transgender people.
—Harry Bruinius, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2023
As such, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on Monday, stating that pastoral blessings are different from sacramental blessings, as the former can be given to people who want God's grace.
—Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 18 Dec. 2023
Such theological reflection, based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church.
—Kayla Bartsch, National Review, 20 Dec. 2023
The pope’s decision was greeted as a landmark victory by advocates for gay Catholics, who describe it as a significant gesture of openness and pastoral care, and a reminder that an institution whose age is measured in millenniums can change.
—Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
Rather than being the hunter-gatherer type like the ancients, most move to herd animals (pastoral nomads) or sell goods and services (peripatetic nomads).
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2023
Now and then, Wiseman pauses the restaurant routines and the lecturing farmers with still shots of the countryside—pastures and hills and clouds in south-central France, nothing spectacular but in this context as moving a pastoral vision as the cinema is likely to give us.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
To learn about this culture, drive through the pastoral countryside of Cattaraugus County and the Chautauqua-Allegheny region, south of Buffalo, to find New York’s Amish Trail.
—Wendy O'Dea, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2023
Sandhya Kambhampati, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023
As in all pastorals, there is an element of fantasy in these serene depictions, which portray a world partly remembered from Constable’s childhood and partly invented from the conventions of art history, in this case the carefully balanced landscapes of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain.
—Christopher Benfey, The New York Review of Books, 14 Sep. 2023
In Row’s vision of the Trump era, there is no American pastoral to return to, long for, or even to mourn; there is only the hope of escape and of freedom from illusions.
—Laura Tanenbaum, The New Republic, 17 May 2023
If nature is made secondary to human will, as in classical and Enlightenment times, then a care for nature expresses itself in bucolics and pastorals—nature as a setting for human amorousness or agriculture.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
But the unprovoked military invasion of the Russian army destroyed this pastoral.
—Yuriy Zaliznyak, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2023
The work is not a simple illustration but melds the personal with the fantastical, the pastoral with the profane.
—Dallas News, 13 Jan. 2022
Instead of an invasion, the archaeological evidence revealed a gradual evolution from a pastoral to an agricultural society.
—Pamela Weintraub, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2015
Instead of rising to this responsibility, Gomez — L.A.'s first archbishop of Mexican descent — has shirked it by paying more attention to the political than the pastoral.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2022
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Adjective
Mann spends a lot of time on Enzo’s bifurcated personal life, which is split between his house in Modena and a pastoral farmhouse outside the city.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 24 Dec. 2023
Since then, his papacy has been defined by an unprecedented effort to expand the reach of the church’s pastoral ministries, including, and perhaps especially, the divorced, gay and lesbian couples, and transgender people.
—Harry Bruinius, The Christian Science Monitor, 21 Dec. 2023
As such, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement on Monday, stating that pastoral blessings are different from sacramental blessings, as the former can be given to people who want God's grace.
—Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, 18 Dec. 2023
Such theological reflection, based on the pastoral vision of Pope Francis, implies a real development from what has been said about blessings in the Magisterium and the official texts of the Church.
—Kayla Bartsch, National Review, 20 Dec. 2023
The pope’s decision was greeted as a landmark victory by advocates for gay Catholics, who describe it as a significant gesture of openness and pastoral care, and a reminder that an institution whose age is measured in millenniums can change.
—Sarah Maslin Nir, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023
Rather than being the hunter-gatherer type like the ancients, most move to herd animals (pastoral nomads) or sell goods and services (peripatetic nomads).
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 2 Dec. 2023
Now and then, Wiseman pauses the restaurant routines and the lecturing farmers with still shots of the countryside—pastures and hills and clouds in south-central France, nothing spectacular but in this context as moving a pastoral vision as the cinema is likely to give us.
—David Denby, The New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2023
To learn about this culture, drive through the pastoral countryside of Cattaraugus County and the Chautauqua-Allegheny region, south of Buffalo, to find New York’s Amish Trail.
—Wendy O'Dea, Travel + Leisure, 13 Dec. 2023
Noun
Call it a pastoral, but its true theme is human connection.
—Sandhya Kambhampati, Los Angeles Times, 12 Dec. 2023
As in all pastorals, there is an element of fantasy in these serene depictions, which portray a world partly remembered from Constable’s childhood and partly invented from the conventions of art history, in this case the carefully balanced landscapes of Nicolas Poussin and Claude Lorrain.
—Christopher Benfey, The New York Review of Books, 14 Sep. 2023
In Row’s vision of the Trump era, there is no American pastoral to return to, long for, or even to mourn; there is only the hope of escape and of freedom from illusions.
—Laura Tanenbaum, The New Republic, 17 May 2023
If nature is made secondary to human will, as in classical and Enlightenment times, then a care for nature expresses itself in bucolics and pastorals—nature as a setting for human amorousness or agriculture.
—Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023
But the unprovoked military invasion of the Russian army destroyed this pastoral.
—Yuriy Zaliznyak, ABC News, 7 Mar. 2023
The work is not a simple illustration but melds the personal with the fantastical, the pastoral with the profane.
—Dallas News, 13 Jan. 2022
Instead of an invasion, the archaeological evidence revealed a gradual evolution from a pastoral to an agricultural society.
—Pamela Weintraub, Discover Magazine, 1 Oct. 2015
Instead of rising to this responsibility, Gomez — L.A.'s first archbishop of Mexican descent — has shirked it by paying more attention to the political than the pastoral.
—Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2022
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pastoral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Adjective and Noun
Middle English, from Latin pastoralis, from pastor herdsman
First Known Use
Adjective
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Noun
1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of pastoral was
in the 15th century
Articles Related to pastoral
Dictionary Entries Near pastoral
Cite this Entry
“Pastoral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pastoral. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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Kids Definition
pastoral
1 of 2 adjective
pas·to·ral
ˈpas-t(ə-)rəl
1
a
: of or relating to shepherds or rural life
b
: devoted to or based on livestock raising
2
: of or relating to the pastor of a church
pastoral
2 of 2 noun
pas·to·ral
ˈpas-t(ə-)rəl,
sense 3 is often ˌpas-tə-ˈräl,
-ˈral
More from Merriam-Webster on pastoral
Nglish: Translation of pastoral for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of pastoral for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pastoral
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