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ministerial

American  
[min-uh-steer-ee-uhl] / ˌmɪn əˈstɪər i əl /

adjective

  1. pertaining to the ministry of religion, or to a minister or other member of the clergy.

  2. pertaining to a ministry or minister of state.

  3. pertaining to or invested with delegated executive authority.

  4. of ministry or service.

  5. serving as an instrument or means; instrumental.

ministerial British  
/ ˌmɪnɪˈstɪərɪəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to a minister of religion or his office

  2. of or relating to a government minister or ministry

    a ministerial act

  3. (often capital) of or supporting the ministry or government against the opposition

  4. law relating to or possessing delegated executive authority

  5. law (of an office, duty, etc) requiring the following of instructions, without power to exercise any personal discretion in doing so

  6. acting as an agent or cause; instrumental

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • antiministerial adjective
  • antiministerially adverb
  • interministerial adjective
  • ministerially adverb
  • nonministerial adjective
  • nonministerially adverb
  • pseudoministerial adjective
  • quasi-ministerial adjective
  • semiministerial adjective
  • unministerial adjective
  • unministerially adverb

Etymology

Origin of ministerial

1555–65; < Late Latin ministeriālis, equivalent to Latin ministeri ( um ) ministry + -ālis -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.

"All the ministers have their power in their ministerial framework, undertaking daily works and making decisions - all the powers are delegated to them and they carry out their duties," he said.

From BBC

She added it would be unforgiveable if the latest tests "vindicated the quality and viability of the Ajax project" only for it to be delayed "within ministerial schedules and the machinery of government".

From BBC

"The imam is trying to get back into the game", a ministerial advisor in Bamako told AFP.

From Barron's

He became MP for Stirling in 1983 and served under the premierships of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major, holding several ministerial positions.

From BBC

This wasn't a small issue – the report found a serious breach of the ministerial code.

From BBC

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.