ministerial
/ˌmɪnəˈstɪɹi.əl/adjective, noun
ministerial is spelled M-I-N-I-S-T-E-R-I-A-L: 11 letters and 5 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, ministerial means “Related to a religious minister or ministry” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in ministerial?
| Letters | 11: M-I-N-I-S-T-E-R-I-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 13,897th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is ministerial?
Ministerial appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 13,897th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce ministerial?
- /ˌmɪnəˈstɪɹi.əl/
- /-ˈstɪəɹ-/
Ministerial has 5 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-ministerial.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of ministerial
- more ministerial comparative
- most ministerial superlative
- ministerials plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does ministerial mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Related to a religious minister or ministry.
- 2
Related to a governmental minister or ministry.
- 3
Having the power to wield delegated executive authority.
- 4
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.
noun
- 1
A member of the mediaeval estate or caste of unfree nobles.
- 2
A meeting of government ministers from partner countries.
The NATO ministerial was attended by the defence ministers of all member states.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Ministerial in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | ministerial |
| French | ministériel |
| German | Ministerial, Dienstmann |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does ministerial come from?
Borrowed from Middle French ministeriel, equivalent to minister + -ial. Doublet of minstrel and ministerialis.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).