magisterial
Americanadjective
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of, relating to, or befitting a master; of importance or consequence; authoritative; weighty.
a magisterial pronouncement by the director of the board.
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imperious; domineering.
a magisterial tone of command.
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of or befitting a magistrate or the office of a magistrate.
The judge spoke with magisterial gravity.
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of the rank of a magistrate.
magisterial standing.
adjective
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commanding; authoritative
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domineering; dictatorial
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of or relating to a teacher or person of similar status
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of or relating to a magistrate
Other Word Forms
- magisterially adverb
- magisterialness noun
- unmagisterial adjective
Etymology
Origin of magisterial
First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin magisteriālis “pertaining to a teacher or magistrate” (equivalent to Latin magister “magistrate, teacher, master” + -ālis ); master, -al 1
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.
It’s no surprise that Viktor and Rolf collaborated three times with the magisterial Robert Wilson, who specialized in a theater of images.
I was hooked by the magisterial piano and sax solos of the epic “Jungleland,” set in a romanticized New York City—instantly my first favorite Bruce song.
“Sunday,” the culminating hymn of “Sunday in the Park With George,” closes Act 1 to magisterial effect.
From Los Angeles Times
He wrote in an autobiography that his first "war decoration" was a "magisterial slap" from his mother, when he came home and told her what he had tried to do.
From BBC
Here are five other movies about the magisterial singer-songwriter whose life and lyrics have forever expanded the contours of American music.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions 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.