ministerial
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ministerial
- /ˌmɪnəˈstɪɹi.əl/
- /-ˈstɪəɹ-/
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French ministeriel, equivalent to minister + -ial. Doublet of minstrel and ministerialis.
adjective more ministerial · most ministerial
- Related to a religious minister or ministry.
- Related to a governmental minister or ministry. In over a quarter of a century of writing this column, there has been no end of scandals, mishaps, errors and general cock-ups resulting from ministerial incompetence.
- Having the power to wield delegated executive authority.
-
Serving as an instrument or means (i.e., procedural or ancillary, not substantive).
Filling out the form under the direction of a lawyer is a ministerial task performed by a legal secretary.
Similar: instrumental
noun ministerials
- A member of the mediaeval estate or caste of unfree nobles. By the time of the Nibelungenlied the word was used to denote a wide variety of usually ecclesiastic or royal administrators, from the lowest, unfree ministerial to an enfeoffed judge.
- A meeting of government ministers from partner countries. The NATO ministerial was attended by the defence ministers of all member states.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: ministry, secretary, ministre, corporate, departmental, department, executive, minister, minster, prime, instrumental, grade, interdepartmental, reshuffle, dpr, diand
Translations
Every language
adj related to a religious minister or ministry
| Português | ministerial |
|---|
adj related to a governmental minister or ministry
| Português | ministerial |
|---|---|
| Français | ministériel |
| Română | ministerial |
| Русский | министе́рский ministérskij |
adj having the power to wield delegated executive authority
| Português | ministerial |
|---|---|
| Français | ministériel |
noun unfree noble
| Français | ministériel |
|---|---|
| Deutsch | Ministerial, Dienstmann |
Talk about this word "ministerial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/ministerial. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. ministerial. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/ministerial "ministerial." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/ministerial.Cite this
@misc{ministerial_2026,
title = {ministerial},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/ministerial},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
