parliamentary
adjective
par·lia·men·ta·ry
ˌpär-lə-ˈmen-t(ə-)rē 
also ˌpärl-yə-
1
a
: of or relating to a parliament
parliamentary elections
parliamentary debate
b
: enacted, done, or ratified by a parliament
a parliamentary grant of money
2
: of or adhering to the parliament as opposed to the king during the English Civil War
… rendered the parliamentary armies … victorious.—
David Hume
David Hume3
: of, based on, or having the characteristics of parliamentary government
parliamentary democracy
4
: of or relating to members of a parliament
have the leader selected by the parliamentary caucus—London Times
London Times5
: of or according to parliamentary law
parliamentary procedure
Examples of parliamentary in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Political analysts caution that such cohesion will be more challenging when the parties are in competition in a parliamentary election due by 2030.
—CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Because parliament was riven among pro-democracy parties, the communists, and the Nazis, Papen was able to govern by emergency decree But parliament could still topple his government with a vote of no confidence, and thus Papen needed the parliamentary parties not to actively oppose him.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
In 2011, mass protests broke out in response to parliamentary elections that showed signs of vote-rigging.
—Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
This prompted calls in Parliament for Andrew to give evidence about his financial arrangements to a parliamentary select committee.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parliamentary
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CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2025
Because parliament was riven among pro-democracy parties, the communists, and the Nazis, Papen was able to govern by emergency decree But parliament could still topple his government with a vote of no confidence, and thus Papen needed the parliamentary parties not to actively oppose him.
—Time, 23 Oct. 2025
In 2011, mass protests broke out in response to parliamentary elections that showed signs of vote-rigging.
—Tetiana Kotelnykova, The Atlantic, 22 Oct. 2025
This prompted calls in Parliament for Andrew to give evidence about his financial arrangements to a parliamentary select committee.
—Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for parliamentary
Cite this Entry
“Parliamentary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parliamentary. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
parliamentary
adjective
par·lia·men·ta·ry
ˌpär-lə-ˈment-ə-rē
-ˈmen-trē,
also ˌpärl-yə-
1
: of, relating to, or enacted by a parliament
2
: of or relating to government by a cabinet whose members belong to and are responsible to the legislature
3
: of or according to the rules governing the way in which official meetings (as of a parliament or congress) are conducted
parliamentary procedure
Legal Definition
parliamentary
adjective
par·lia·men·ta·ry
ˌpär-lə-ˈmen-tə-rē, ˌpärl-yə-
1
a
: of or relating to a parliament
b
: enacted, done, or ratified by a parliament
2
: of, based on, or having the characteristics of parliamentary government
3
: of or relating to the members of a parliament
4
: of or according to parliamentary law
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