1
a(1) : of, relating to, or having the characteristics of a master or teacher : authoritative (2): marked by an overbearingly dignified or assured manner or aspect
b: of, relating to, or required for a master's degree
2
: of or relating to a magistrate or a magistrate's office or dutiesChoose the Right Synonym for magisterial
exercised dictatorial control over the office
magisterial stresses assumption or use of prerogatives appropriate to a magistrate or schoolmaster in forcing acceptance of one's opinions.
the magisterial tone of his pronouncements
dogmatic implies being unduly and offensively positive in laying down principles and expressing opinions.
dogmatic about what is art and what is not
doctrinaire implies a disposition to follow abstract theories in framing laws or policies affecting people.
a doctrinaire approach to improving the economy
oracular implies the manner of one who delivers opinions in cryptic phrases or with pompous dogmatism.
a designer who is the oracular voice of fashion
Examples of magisterial in a SentenceHe spoke with a magisterial tone. a magisterial biography of Thomas Jefferson that has never been superseded
Recent Examples on the Web Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback. And currently, there is Charles Gaines’ magisterial new works, Numbers and Trees, The Tanzania Baobabs, at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood (on view through May 31, 2025). —Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025 Image Memento Mori by Muriel Spark Few writers were as capable of scalpel-sharp dissection of the rich as the Scottish novelist Muriel Spark, whose magisterial social satires remain relevant even half a century later. —Calum Marsh, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 And currently, there is Charles Gaines’ magisterial new works, Numbers and Trees, The Tanzania Baobabs, at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood (on view through May 31, 2025). —Tom Teicholz, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025 Image Memento Mori by Muriel Spark Few writers were as capable of scalpel-sharp dissection of the rich as the Scottish novelist Muriel Spark, whose magisterial social satires remain relevant even half a century later. —Calum Marsh, New York Times, 7 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for magisterial Word HistoryEtymology
Late Latin magisterialis of authority, from magisterium office of a master, from magister
First Known Use
1635, in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)
Time Traveler
The first known use of magisterial was in 1635 Cite this Entry“Magisterial.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/magisterial. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
Last Updated: 14 Apr 2025 - Updated example sentencesLove words? Need even more definitions?
Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!
Merriam-Webster unabridged More from Merriam-Webster Popular in Grammar & UsageRetroSearch is an open source project built by @garambo | Open a GitHub Issue
Search and Browse the WWW like it's 1997 | Search results from DuckDuckGo
HTML:
3.2
| Encoding:
UTF-8
| Version:
0.7.3