ministerial

[ min-uh-steer-ee-uhl ]

See synonyms for ministerial on Thesaurus.com

adjective

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

pertaining to or invested with delegated executive authority.
of ministry or service.
serving as an instrument or means; instrumental.

Origin of ministerial

1555–65; <Late Latin ministeriālis, equivalent to Latin ministeri(um) ministry + -ālis-al¹

Other words from ministerial

min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
an·ti·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
an·ti·min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
in·ter·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
non·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
non·min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb
pseu·do·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
qua·si-min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
sem·i·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
un·min·is·te·ri·al, adjective
un·min·is·te·ri·al·ly, adverb

Words Nearby ministerial

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ministerial in a sentence

She was the youngest Barbadian ever appointed to a ministerial position and has served as both the country’s attorney general and its minister of economic affairs.
Barbados Resists Climate Colonialism in an Effort to Survive the Costs of Global Warming | by Abrahm Lustgarten | July 27, 2022 | ProPublica
The only decisions exempted are those in which applicants are assured of city approval after demonstrating they followed a few basic guidelines, known as ministerial decisions.
Alvarez Work for SDG&E Could Have Violated City Ethics Law | Andrew Keatts | March 21, 2022 | Voice of San Diego
In 2011, the Nigerian-American entrepreneur quit her job at a Fortune 500 company in the energy sector and moved to Nigeria to work for the government as a ministerial adviser.
The Wonderful World of Wellness | Eromo Egbejule | September 27, 2021 | Ozy
They could also be fined if they declined to hire non-ministerial personnel, such as facility managers or secretaries, whose sexual orientation or gender identity contradicts the tenants of the church’s faith.
Conservative groups attack proposed Alabama capital city’s LGBTQ law | Brody Levesque | July 22, 2021 | Washington Blade
Whether it’s the presidency, ministerial roles, or different members of parliament, or even the Senate.
Cameroon group works to protect, empower LGBTQ community | Prince Chingarande | June 30, 2021 | Washington Blade

The sisters, who volunteered for relief work in addition to ministerial service through their order, were extraordinary women.
Caught: Female Assassin Who Allegedly Murdered Five American Nuns | Barbie Latza Nadeau | September 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The “ministerial exemption” covers minister-like people, too.
Why Progressives Just Woke Up and Killed ENDA | Jay Michaelson | July 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
But in order to succeed, the band of ministerial mavericks needs to capitalize on their momentum.
Argentina’s Drag & Drop Democracy | Jeff Campagna | March 12, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
The conclusion of such deals, of course, both necessitated and created ministerial and other bureaucratic exchanges.
Natural Gas Is Not Singlehandedly Reshaping The Mediterranean | Allison Good | November 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Cypriot-Israeli exchanges have become particularly frequent since 2011 and occur at the presidential and prime ministerial levels.
Natural Gas Is Not Singlehandedly Reshaping The Mediterranean | Allison Good | November 18, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Even Mr. Hutchinson had declared himself against ministerial measures.
The Eve of the Revolution | Carl Becker
Mr. Conyers, the vicar, allows your husband eighty pounds a year for his ministerial services.
The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie
The execution of this gentleman has always been held as a specimen of ministerial cruelty.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology | Joel Munsell
Montague and Secretary Vernon were the ministerial candidates for Westminster.
The History of England from the Accession of James II. | Thomas Babington Macaulay
The Sylpho, also an occasional paper, moderately ministerial, and engaged in a war of words with several others.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil | Maria Graham

British Dictionary definitions for ministerial

ministerial

/ (ˌmɪnɪˈstɪərɪəl) /

adjective

of or relating to a minister of religion or his office
of or relating to a government minister or ministry: a ministerial act

(often capital) of or supporting the ministry or government against the opposition
law relating to or possessing delegated executive authority
law (of an office, duty, etc) requiring the following of instructions, without power to exercise any personal discretion in doing so
acting as an agent or cause; instrumental

Derived forms of ministerial

ministerially, adverb

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

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