The pastoral duties of a priest or other religious leader involve looking after the people he or she has responsibility for, especially by helping them with their personal problems.
...the pastoral care of the sick.
Many churches provide excellent pastoral counselling.
2. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
If a school offers pastoral care, it is concerned with the personal needs and problems of its pupils, not just with their schoolwork.
[mainly British]
A few schools now offer counselling sessions; all have some system of pastoral care.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A pastoral place, atmosphere, or idea is characteristic of peaceful country life and scenery.
...the pastoral beauty of a park.
...a tranquil pastoral scene.
...the pastoral joys of rural districts.
Synonyms: rustic, country, simple, rural More Synonyms of pastoral
4. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A pastoral way of life is one in which people keep animals such as cows and sheep that feed off the land.
...the Israelites, who were a pastoral people.
...a system of pastoral farming.
More Synonyms of pastoral
pastoral in British English
(ˈpɑːstərəl)
adjective
1.
of, characterized by, or depicting rural life, scenery, etc
2.
(of a literary work) dealing with an idealized form of rural existence in a conventional way
3.
(of land) used for pasture
4.
denoting or relating to the branch of theology dealing with the duties of members of the clergy to their congregations
5.
of or relating to a member of clergy in charge of a congregation or his or her duties as such
6.
of or relating to a teacher's responsibility for the personal development of a pupil, as distinct from the educational development
7.
of or relating to shepherds, their work, etc
noun
8.
a literary work or picture portraying rural life, esp the lives of shepherds in an idealizing way
See also eclogue
9. music a variant of pastorale
10. Christianity
a.
a letter from a member of clergy to the people under his or her charge
b.
the letter of a bishop to the clergy or people of his or her diocese
c. Also called: pastoral staff
the crosier or staff carried by a bishop as a symbol of his pastoral responsibilities
Derived forms
pastoralism (ˈpastoralˌism)
noun
pastorally (ˈpastorally)
adverb
Word origin
C15: from Latin, from pastor
pastoral in American English
(ˈpæstərəl; ˈpɑstərəl)
adjective
1.
of shepherds or their work, way of life, etc.
2.
of or portraying rural life or, formerly, a highly conventionalized form of rustic life among shepherds, usually in an idealized way
3.
of pastoral literature or a pastoral
4.
characteristic of rural life, idealized as peaceful, simple, and natural
5.
of or relating to a pastor
noun
6.
a piece of literature dealing, usually in an idealized way, with rural life; formerly, specif.,a poem, play, etc. treating the rustic lives and loves of shepherds in a conventionalized, artificial manner
7.
such writing as a literary form
8.
a pastoral picture or scene
9.
an official letter or document, as on doctrine or religious observance, issued by a bishop or group of bishops to persons within their jurisdiction
10. Music
pastorale
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈrural
Derived forms
pastoralism (ˈpastoralˌism)
noun
pastorally (ˈpastorally)
adverb
Word origin
ME pastoralle < L pastoralis < pastor, a shepherd: see pastor
Examples of 'pastoral' in a sentence
pastoral
I see it as an aspect of the ministry of healing, and the pastoral after-care is as important as the rite itself.
Howatch, Susan ABSOLUTE TRUTHS (2001)
Your pastoral duties will be assumed by Father Shumate, who will be sent in from Reno.
Duncan, Robert L THE SERPENT'S MARK (2001)
But in his own career, not even his most way-out fantasies could devise any comparable pastoral idyll.
Anthony Masters CASCADES - THE DAY OF THE DEAD (2001)
The property was fenced in and Mr. Phipps was not given to wandering, so I imagine Aunt Lavinia enjoyed her pastoral ramble without concern.
Katherine Mosb THE SEASON OF LILLIAN DAWES (2001)
In other languages
pastoral
British English: pastoral ADJECTIVE
The pastoral duties of a priest or other religious leader involve looking after the people he or she has responsibility for, especially by helping them with their personal problems.
...the pastoral care of the sick.
American English: pastoral
Brazilian Portuguese: pastoral
Chinese: 牧师职责的
European Spanish: pastoral
French: pastoral
German: pastoral
Italian: pastorale
Japanese: 牧師の
Korean: 목회의
European Portuguese: pastoral
Latin American Spanish: pastoral
1 (adjective)
Definition
of or relating to a member of the clergy or his or her duties
the pastoral duties of bishops
Synonyms
ecclesiastical
They refused to acknowledge the ecclesiastical supremacy of the monarch.
priestly
his priestly duties
ministerial
clerical
a clergyman who had failed to carry out his clerical duties
2 (adjective)
Definition
of or depicting country life or scenery
a tranquil pastoral scene
Synonyms
rustic
the rustic charms of a country lifestyle
country
I want to live a simple country life.
simple
It was a simple home.
rural
the old rural way of life
idyllic
an idyllic setting for a summer romance
bucolic
the bucolic surroundings of Chantilly
Arcadian
georgic (literary)
agrestic
Additional synonyms
in the sense of bucolic
Definition
of or relating to shepherds
the bucolic surroundings of Chantilly
Synonyms
rustic,
country,
rural,
agricultural,
pastoral,
agrarian,
agrestic
in the sense of clerical
Definition
of or associated with the clergy
a clergyman who had failed to carry out his clerical duties