gubernatorial
Americanadjective
adjective
Usage
What does gubernatorial mean? Gubernatorial is an adjective used to refer to things related to a state governor in the United States. The word governor can mean different things in different places, but gubernatorial is primarily used in the U. S., where a governor is the executive head of a state. Gubernatorial is the adjective form of governor in the same way that presidential is the adjective form of president. And it’s used in all the same ways, especially in phrases like gubernatorial duties, gubernatorial debate, and gubernatorial race. Example: It might not be as exciting as the presidential debate, but it’s still important to watch the gubernatorial debate.
Etymology
Origin of gubernatorial
1725–35, < Latin gubernātōr- (stem of gubernātor ) steersman, governor + -ial
Explanation
Anything gubernatorial has to go with governors, the same way that anything "presidential" has to do with presidents. A governor is the elected leader of a state in America, and anything gubernatorial has to do with governors and their governing. There are gubernatorial debates and gubernatorial elections. If elected, the governor has many gubernatorial duties to carry out in the gubernatorial mansion. And if a candidate acts out of line, you could say "That's not very gubernatorial" — meaning they’re not acting like a governor should.
Vocabulary lists containing gubernatorial
One Nation, Under Vocabulary: Political Parlance
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Three Keys
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Talking About the Election Results? Ten Words from Today's News Can Help
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Triflingly, a San Francisco minister took Pacheco to task because his gubernatorial declaration of the date for Thanksgiving “had not the remotest acknowledgement of Almighty God.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
The Senate contest in Florida, several House races in New York, and the gubernatorial primary in Wisconsin all got heated.
From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026
This attitude even appealed to attendees at a debate watch party that the Sand campaign held in Davenport for the first gubernatorial debate in early October.
From Slate ● Oct. 26, 2026
She has not endorsed Becerra in the gubernatorial race.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
And so when Federalist leaders from New York approached him as a prospective candidate for the gubernatorial race, he indicated a willingness to switch party affiliations and run in his home state as a Federalist.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
