parliamentary
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
relating to a parliament or the people who work in one.
relating to, enacted by, or characteristic of a parliament. This is a non-gradable adjective.
Simple“The prime minister faced many difficult parliamentary questions today.”
In context“The committee's findings were published in a parliamentary report that detailed several major failures in the current housing policy.”
Synonyms - 02 C1 Advanced
describing a government where the leaders are chosen from and answer to a parliament.
relating to a system of government where the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the confidence of the legislature.
Simple“Many European countries have a parliamentary system rather than a presidential one.”
In context“In a parliamentary democracy, the head of government is typically a member of the legislature and must maintain its support to remain in power.”
SynonymsAntonyms - 03 C1 Advanced
using the polite and formal language required during a government meeting.
conforming to the rules and customs of a parliament, particularly regarding formal and civil language during debate.
Simple“The speaker asked the politician to use more parliamentary language during the debate.”
In context“The member was reprimanded for using language that was deemed not parliamentary, leading to a brief suspension from the chamber.”
UsageOften used in the phrase 'parliamentary language'.
Usage parliamentary inquiry · parliamentary standards
“Zambia's electoral commission has suspended the counting of votes from Thursday's presidential, parliamentary and local elections over alleged attacks on polling staff.”
“However, a parliamentary investigation into Farage, who resigned the seat amid a row over his financial support, will now continue.”
From parliament + -ary.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.