procedural

American  

[pruh-see-jer-uhl] / prəˈsi dʒər əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to a procedure or procedures, especially of a court of law, legislative body, or law enforcement agency.

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noun

• procedurals
  plural

1. police procedural.

Usage

What does procedural mean? Procedural is used to describe things that involve a specific procedure—a particular way of doing something, especially one that is usually repeated in the same way each time. The word procedural is especially used in the context of formal, official procedures, such as those used in government and law. A procedural vote is typically one that is simply part of the process to move forward to a full and final vote on a matter. A procedural agreement is a kind of contract that governs how a collective bargaining process will be carried out. Procedural can also be used as a noun to refer to a procedural drama—work of fiction, especially a TV show, that realistically portrays a kind of professional work. A common type of procedural is a police procedural. The popular show Law & Order is a procedural. Example: This meeting is solely to deal with procedural matters—the debate on the actual issues will come later.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonprocedural
  adjective
• procedurally
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• procedurals
  plural

Etymology

Origin of procedural

First recorded in 1885–90; procedure + -al ¹

Explanation

If you have to follow so many rules at work that it seems like nothing ever gets done, you could say that the procedural requirements of your job are getting you down. The adjective procedural describes something related to a required or standard course of action. Legal types are probably already familiar with the word procedural, which is often used to describe matters related to the law. The Senate, for example, may cite procedural roadblocks as the reason why nothing has been accomplish in a session. So that would give the Senate something in common with your workplace: having too many rules to follow — "procedural overload" — makes things take a long time.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

procedural procedurals

“An Eye for an Eye” isn’t a police procedural, and a generous portion of the narrative is occupied by Ms. Jabarzadegan, an “anti-execution” activist who seems to find this case especially intractable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The commission conceded a procedural error in how it dealt with the annual application for permission to walk along the Garvaghy Road.

From BBC ● Aug. 25, 2026

This dance that opens an episode of “Will Trent,” a procedural crime show, was choreographed by Lance Guillermo and Danielle Sten, longtime choreographers for the series.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026

People may look at that and see it as sort of a technocratic or procedural thing.

From Slate ● Aug. 10, 2026

It’s serious procedural stuff, moving sick people across town.

From "The Miseducation of Cameron Post" by emily m. danforth

This template is recognizable from any number of police procedurals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

But beyond the procedurals for which Wolf is famous, along with a few bright comedies, the broadcast primetime landscape is as creatively sparse as the dry brush covering the Permian Basin.

From Salon ● Nov. 16, 2025

Between that and bloodless network procedurals, death transforms from a tragedy and a sin into a mystery or a puzzle.

From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2024

The predictability and formulaic nature of such procedurals, the very qualities that turn off some viewers and critics, are what its fans value.

From New York Times ● May 28, 2024

The stories can be predictable, which is in itself predictable, or a little silly, not unusual among episodic procedurals, and perfectly acceptable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 28, 2024