Of or pertaining to ministry or service; serving; attendant. [1913 Webster]
"Enlightening spirits and ministerial flames." [1913 Webster]
Of or pertaining to the office of a minister or to the ministry as a body, whether civil or sacerdotal. Hooker. [1913 Webster]
Tending to advance or promote; contributive. De Quincey. [1913 Webster]

The ministerial benches, the benches in the House of Commons occupied by members of the cabinet and their supporters; -- also, the persons occupying them. “Very solid and very brilliant talents distinguish the ministerial benches.” Burke.

Syn. -- Official; priestly; sacerdotal; ecclesiastical.

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OXFORD DICTIONARY

Ministerial, adj.
1 of a minister of religion or a minister's office.
2 instrumental or subsidiary in achieving a purpose (ministerial in bringing about a settlement).
3 a of a government minister. b siding with the Ministry against the Opposition.

Derivative

ministerialist n. (in sense 3b). ministerially adv.

Etymology

F minist{eacute}riel or LL ministerialis f. L (as MINISTRY)

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THESAURUS

Ministerial

abbatial, abbatical, accessory, adjuvant, administrating, administrative, agential, agentival, agentive, ambassadorial, ancillary, archiepiscopal, assistant, assisting, auxiliary, bureaucratic, canonical, capitular, capitulary, churchly, clerical, conducive, consular, diplomatic, directing, ecclesiastic, employable, episcopal, episcopalian, evangelistic, executive, facilitating, favoring, forwarding, fostering, handy, helpful, helping, instrumental, intermediary, managing, mediating, mediatorial, ministering, ministrant, nurtural, nutricial, official, officiating, pastoral, plenipotentiary, prelatial, prelatic, presiding, priest-ridden, priestish, priestly, promoting, rabbinic, sacerdotal, serviceable, serving, subservient, subsidiary, supervisory, ultramontane, useful

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ROGET THESAURUS

Ministerial

Instrumentality

N instrumentality, aid, subservience, subserviency, mediation, intervention, medium, intermedium, vehicle, hand, agency, minister, handmaid, midwife, accoucheur, accoucheuse, obstetrician, gobetween, cat's-paw, stepping-stone, opener, key, master key, passkey, latchkey, open sesame, passport, passe-partout, safe-conduct, password, instrument, expedient, means, instrumental, useful, ministerial, subservient, mediatorial, intermediate, intervening, conducive, through, by, per, whereby, thereby, hereby, by the agency of, by dint of, by virtue of, in virtue of, through the medium of, along with, on the shoulders of, by means of, by the aid of, with the aid of, per fas et nefas, by fair means or foul, somehow, somehow or other, by hook or by crook.

Churchdom

N church, churchdom, ministry, apostleship, priesthood, prelacy, hierarch, church government, christendom, pale of the church, clericalism, sacerdotalism, episcopalianism, ultramontanism, theocracy, ecclesiology, ecclesiologist, priestcraft, odium theologicum, monachism, monachy, monasticism, monkhood, pontificate, primacy, archbishopric, archiepiscopacy, prelacy, bishopric, bishopdom, episcopate, episcopacy, see, diocese, deanery, stall, canonry, canonicate, prebend, prebendaryship, benefice, incumbency, glebe, advowson, living, cure, rectorship, vicariate, vicarship, deaconry, deaconship, curacy, chaplain, chaplaincy, chaplainship, cardinalate, cardinalship, abbacy, presbytery, holy orders, ordination, institution, consecration, induction, reading in, preferment, translation, presentation, popedom, the Vatican, the apostolic see, religious sects, council, conclave, convocation, synod, consistory, chapter, vestry, sanhedrim, conge d'elire, ecclesiastical courts, consistorial court, court of Arches, ecclesiastical, ecclesiological, clerical, sacerdotal, priestly, prelatical, pastoral, ministerial, capitular, theocratic, hierarchical, archiepiscopal, episcopal, episcopalian, canonical, monastic, monachal, monkish, abbatial, abbatical, Anglican, pontifical, papal, apostolic, Roman, Popish, ultramontane, priest-ridden.

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