adj. 1. Full of or conducive to good will among colleagues; friendly and respectful: an office with a collegial atmosphere. 2. a. Characterized by or having power and authority vested equally among colleagues: "He ... prefers a collegial harmony that will present him with a consensus on the issues" (Time). b. Roman Catholic Church Characterized by the equal sharing of power among the bishops. [Middle English, from Latin collēgiālis, of colleagues, from collēgium, association; see COLLEGIUM.] col·legi·al·ly adv. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.