pastoral meaning and definition

PASTORAL noun

Definition of pastoral (noun)

1. a musical composition that evokes rural life
   • synonyms: idyl, idyll, pastorale
2. a letter from a pastor to the congregation
3. a literary work idealizing the rural life (especially the life of shepherds)

PASTORAL adjective

Definition of pastoral (adjective)

1. of or relating to a pastor
   • "pastoral work"; "a pastoral letter"
2. relating to shepherds or herdsmen or devoted to raising sheep or cattle
   • "pastoral seminomadic people"; "pastoral land"; "a pastoral economy"
   • synonyms: bucolic
3. (used with regard to idealized country life) idyllically rustic
   • "a country life of arcadian contentment"; "a pleasant bucolic scene"; "charming in its pastoral setting"; "rustic tranquility"
   • synonyms: arcadian, bucolic