papal
Americanadjective
-
of or relating to the pope or the papacy.
a papal visit to Canada.
-
of or relating to the Roman Catholic Church.
adjective
Other Word Forms
- antipapal adjective
- nonpapal adjective
- papally adverb
- pseudopapal adjective
- unpapal adjective
Etymology
Origin of papal
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English word from Medieval Latin word pāpālis. See pope, -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.
The visit to the principality on the French riviera will take place on March 28 and will be the first papal trip to the city state in modern times.
From Barron's • Feb. 25, 2026
Preparations for papal visits, which usually draw huge crowds, take months but the Vatican only confirms the details a few weeks in advance.
From Barron's • Feb. 10, 2026
Mets owner Steven Cohen even posted Thursday evening on X, making reference to smoke appearing during papal elections, a sign that Tucker’s signing appeared imminent.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2026
A committed Catholic, he received his papal knighthood in 2017 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991.
From BBC • Jan. 3, 2026
It was his business to stick the leaden seals on papal bulls, and, so as to preserve the Secrecy of the Pope, they used to make sure that he could not read a won!
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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.
