mayoral

American  

[mey-er-uhl, mey-awr-uhl] / ˈmeɪ ər əl, ˌmeɪˈɔr əl /

adjective

1. having to do with the office or person of a mayor or chief official of a city, village, or town.

   A lunchtime discussion by the mayoral candidates will focus on education funding.

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Etymology

Origin of mayoral

mayor ( def. ) + -al ¹

Explanation

Anything mayoral has to do with the official leader of a city or town, or with the office itself. In a mayoral election, candidates are vying to become the highest-ranking city official. Mayoral is from mayor, which derives from the Old French maire, "head of a city or town government," and a Latin root meaning "great." This adjective is used to talk about things related to the mayor, from the mayoral residence and mayoral duties to mayoral election campaigns and speeches. If you have mayoral ambitions, that means you dream of heading up your town's government one day. The word mayoral can also be used as a noun when referring to any overseer or foreman, especially of a ranch or an estate in Spain or Mexico in the 1800s.

Example Sentences

"We've got tons of people reaching out to us from around the country asking us how we did it," said Charlie Kratovil, a Democratic mayoral candidate and member of environmental group Food & Water Action.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

But even grave-robbing isn’t as unpleasant as the dynamics of the Morelli family, led by chief screamer, grouser, mayoral candidate and all-around non-people-person Linda Morelli.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

In LMU’s mayoral poll from 2022, released in early March of that year, 42% of respondents chose “undecided/someone else” for mayor.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Earlier this year Pratt, a Republican, announced that he would be running for mayor of Los Angeles in the upcoming mayoral election, challenging incumbent Karen Bass.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

In April 1891 Chicago learned the results of the latest mayoral election.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson