procedural

Language: en

🇺🇸 /prəˈsiːdʒɜrəl/

📖 Definitions

  1. adjective
    Relating to or concerned with the established or official way of doing something, especially in legal or parliamentary contexts.; Relating to a sequence of steps or operations to be followed in a regular order.; In computing, relating to a programming paradigm based on the concept of procedure calls or routines.
  2. noun
    A type of television drama or novel that focuses on the step-by-step process of solving a crime or legal case.

🔗 Details

Word forms

Comparative: more procedural Superlative: most procedural

Collocations

procedural lawprocedural errorprocedural justiceprocedural requirementsprocedural rulesprocedural fairness

Derivatives

procedureprocedurallyproceedprocessproceedings

Synonyms

formalmethodicalsystematictechnicalmechanical

Antonyms

substantiveinformal

Commonly confused

substantive
EN: 'Procedural' relates to the process or method of doing something; 'substantive' relates to the actual content, merits, or substance of a matter.
processual
EN: 'Processual' is a rarer academic term emphasizing ongoing process; 'procedural' is the standard term for relating to established rules or steps.

Spelling tips

EN: Remember 'procedural' has a single 'c' (from 'procedure'), not 'proceedural' — a common error from confusion with 'proceed'.

💬 Examples

  1. The case was dismissed on procedural grounds rather than on its merits.

  2. The manual outlined the procedural steps for assembling the engine.

  3. C is often described as a procedural programming language.

  4. The new police procedural on network television has become a ratings hit.