Adjacent Words

Magisterial definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MAGISTE'RIAL, a. [See Magistrate.] Pertaining to a master; such as suits a master; authoritative.
1. Proud; lofty; arrogant; imperious; domineering.
Pretenses go a great way with men that take fair words and magisterial looks for current payment.
2. In chimistry, pertaining to magistery, which see.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

adj
1: of or relating to a magistrate; "official magisterial functions"
2: offensively self-assured or given to exercising usually unwarranted power; "an autocratic person"; "autocratic behavior"; "a bossy way of ordering others around"; "a rather aggressive and dominating character"; "managed the employees in an aloof magisterial way"; "a swaggering peremptory manner" [syn: autocratic, bossy, dominating, high-and- mighty, magisterial, peremptory]
3: used of a person's appearance or behavior; befitting an eminent person; "his distinguished bearing"; "the monarch's imposing presence"; "she reigned in magisterial beauty" [syn: distinguished, grand, imposing, magisterial]

Merriam Webster's

adjective Etymology: Late Latin magisterialis of authority, from magisterium office of a master, from magister Date: 1632 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 duties Synonyms: see dictatorial • magisterially adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

adj. 1 imperious. 2 invested with authority. 3 of or conducted by a magistrate. 4 (of a work, opinion, etc.) highly authoritative. Derivatives: magisterially adv. Etymology: med.L magisterialis f. LL magisterius f. L magister MASTER

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Magisterial Mag`is*te"ri*al, a. [L. magisterius magisterial. See Master.] 1. Of or pertaining to a master or magistrate, or one in authority; having the manner of a magister; official; commanding; authoritative. Hence: Overbearing; dictatorial; dogmatic. When magisterial duties from his home Her father called. --Glover. We are not magisterial in opinions, nor, dictator-like, obtrude our notions on any man. --Sir T. Browne. Pretenses go a great way with men that take fair words and magisterial looks for current payment. --L'Estrange. 2. (Alchem. & Old Chem.) Pertaining to, produced by, or of the nature of, magistery. See Magistery, 2. Syn: Authoritative; stately; august; pompous; dignified; lofty; commanding; imperious; lordly; proud; haughty; domineering; despotic; dogmatical; arrogant. Usage: Magisterial, Dogmatical, Arrogant. One who is magisterial assumes the air of a master toward his pupils; one who is dogmatical lays down his positions in a tone of authority or dictation; one who is arrogant in sults others by an undue assumption of superiority. Those who have long been teachers sometimes acquire, unconsciously, a manner which borders too much on the magisterial, and may be unjustly construed as dogmatical, or even arrogant.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

If you describe someone's behaviour or work as magisterial, you mean that they show great authority or ability. (FORMAL) ...his magisterial voice and bearing... The Cambridge World History of Human Disease is a magisterial work. ADJ: usu ADJ n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

a. Domineering, lordly, imperious, proud, arrogant, lofty, authoritative, despotic, dictatorial, consequential, pompous, dogmatical, haughty.

Moby Thesaurus

Daedalian, U, absolute, absolutist, absolutistic, accepted, adept, adroit, approved, apt, arbitrary, arch, aristocratic, arrogant, artistic, august, authentic, authoritarian, authoritative, autocratic, banner, bloated, bossy, bravura, brilliant, capital, cardinal, cathedral, central, champion, chief, clean, clever, coordinated, courtly, crack, crackerjack, crowning, cunning, cute, daedal, deft, despotic, dexterous, dextrous, dictatorial, dignified, diplomatic, disdainful, dogmatic, dominant, domineering, elitist, ex cathedra, excellent, expert, fancy, feudal, first, focal, foremost, good, goodish, graceful, grand, grave, great, grinding, handy, headmost, hegemonic, high and mighty, high-handed, hubristic, imperative, imperial, imperious, important, imposing, ingenious, insolent, judicative, judicatorial, judicatory, judicial, judiciary, jurisdictive, kingly, leading, lordly, magistral, main, majestic, master, masterful, masterly, monocratic, neat, no mean, noble, official, oppressive, overbearing, overruling, paramount, peremptory, politic, pontifical, predominant, preeminent, preponderant, prevailing, primal, primary, prime, princely, principal, professional, proficient, puffy, queenly, quick, quite some, ranking, ready, received, regal, repressive, resourceful, royal, ruling, sedate, self-important, severe, skillful, slick, sober, solemn, some, sovereign, standard, star, stately, statesmanlike, statuesque, stellar, strict, stuffy, stylish, supercilious, supereminent, suppressive, tactful, the compleat, the complete, topflight, tyrannical, tyrannous, venerable, virtuoso, well-done, workmanlike, worthy