shadow minister

noun

In British and some Commonwealth parliaments, a member of an opposition party, with responsibility for a particular portfolio.

“Holonym: shadow cabinet”

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounshadow minister (plural shadow ministers)

plural shadow ministers

  1. In British and some Commonwealth parliaments, a member of an opposition party, with responsibility for a particular portfolio.

    Holonym: shadow cabinet

    1 more example

    The phrase 'shortly', when used by government rail ministers, means at least four years... and counting, Shadow Transport Minister Tan Dhesi has stated.

    2023 June 28, “Network News: Shadow Minister in despair over Government's RNEP stalling”, in RAIL, number 986, page 16

Origin

See Shadow Cabinet.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Czech stínový ministr
  • stínový ministrmember of an opposition party, with responsibility for a particular portfolio
French ministre fantôme
  • ministre fantômemember of an opposition party, with responsibility for a particular portfolio
Polish minister gabinetu cieni
  • minister gabinetu cienimember of an opposition party, with responsibility for a particular portfolio
Cite this entry
APA

shadow minister. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shadow%20minister

MLA

“shadow minister.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shadow%20minister. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shadow minister,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shadow%20minister.

Source: shadow minister on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.