secular

[sek-yuh-ler]

adjective

1. of or relating to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; temporal.

   secular interests.

2. not pertaining to or connected with religion (sacred ).

   secular music.

3. (of education, a school, etc.) concerned with nonreligious subjects.

4. (of members of the clergy) not belonging to a religious order; not bound by monastic vows (regular ).

5. occurring or celebrated once in an age or century.

   the secular games of Rome.

6. going on from age to age; continuing through long ages.

noun

1. a layperson.

2. one of the secular clergy.

secular

/ ˈsɛkjʊlə /

adjective

1. of or relating to worldly as opposed to sacred things; temporal

2. not concerned with or related to religion

3. not within the control of the Church

4. 1. having no particular religious affinities

   2. not including compulsory religious studies or services

5. (of clerics) not bound by religious vows to a monastic or other order

6. occurring or appearing once in an age or century

7. lasting for a long time

8. astronomy occurring slowly over a long period of time

   the secular perturbation of a planet's orbit

noun

1. a member of the secular clergy

2. another word for layman

secular

1. Not concerned with religion or religious matters. Secular is the opposite of sacred.

Secularization refers to the declining influence of religion and religious values within a given culture. Secular humanism means, loosely, a belief in human self-sufficiency.

Other Word Forms

• secularly adverb
• nonsecular adjective
• presecular adjective
• supersecular adjective
• supersecularly adverb
• unsecular adjective
• unsecularly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of secular¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Medieval Latin sēculāris, Late Latin saeculāris “worldly, temporal (opposed to eternal),” Latin: “of an age,” equivalent to Latin saecul(um) “long period, age” + -āris -ar ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of secular¹

C13: from Old French seculer, from Late Latin saeculāris temporal, from Latin: concerning an age, from saeculum an age

Example Sentences

This kind of disruption is routine in financial markets as expectations change, risk is repriced, and secular trends emerge.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

“Further scale in the broadcast television industry is essential to address secular headwinds and compete effectively with larger-scale big-tech and big-media players, as well as major broadcast groups,” the company said.

Read more on Barron's

This stems from the mistaken belief of many secular Americans that the negative influence of religion can be somehow pressured out of the public square through slash-and-burn policies.

Read more on Salon

Additionally, skeptics of the bishops’ political messaging contend that the Church should prioritize spiritual matters over political positions and allow secular authorities to determine immigration policy without ecclesiastical interference.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The key takeaway remains: if the economy avoids a hard landing, the AI trade—which is a secular, multiyear theme of productivity growth—will simply carry on,” said Tigay at Catalyst Hedged Equity Fund.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• civil 
• materialistic 
• worldly