clerical

American  

[kler-i-kuhl] / ˈklɛr ɪ kəl /

adjective

1. of, pertaining to, appropriate for, or assigned to an office clerk or clerks.

   a clerical job.

2. doing the work of a clerk or clerks.

   a clerical assistant;

   a clerical staff.

3. of, relating to, or characteristic of the clergy or a member of the clergy.

   clerical garb.

4. advocating the power or influence of the clergy in politics, government, etc..

   a clerical party.

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noun

1. a cleric.

2. Informal. clericals, clerical garments.

3. a person or a party advocating the power or influence of the church in politics, government, etc.

4. a person who does clerical work; office worker; clerk.

5. Also called clerical error.  a minor error, as in the keeping of records, the transcribing of documents, or the handling of correspondence.

clerical British  

/ ˈklɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. relating to or associated with the clergy

   clerical dress

2. of or relating to office clerks or their work

   a clerical error

3. supporting or advocating clericalism

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Other Word Forms

• clericality
  noun
• clerically
  adverb
• interclerical
  adjective
• nonclerical
  adjective
• nonclerically
  adverb
• preclerical
  adjective
• proclerical
  adjective
• pseudoclerical
  adjective
• pseudoclerically
  adverb
• quasi-clerical
  adjective
• quasi-clerically
  adverb
• semiclerical
  adjective
• semiclerically
  adverb
• unclerical
  adjective
• unclerically
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of clerical

1425–75 for sense “learned”; 1585–95 clerical for def. 3; late Middle English < Late Latin clēricālis, equivalent to clēric ( us ) cleric + -ālis -al ¹

Explanation

Anything related to office work is called clerical, especially the more menial and boring jobs such as filing and administration. You might say "The Office" is a clerical comedy. In older times clerical had an additional common meaning of referring to anything to do with the clergy — those ordained for religious work, usually in the Christian faith. Clerical comes from the old Latin term clericus, meaning a "churchman," from which cleric later came, meaning a priest or religious leader. To have "a clerical air" means to be clearly identifiable either as an ink-stained office wretch or a member of the cloth.

Example Sentences

Clerical legends like Luis Olivares and Richard Estrada transformed La Placita Church near Olvera Street into a sanctuary for Central American immigrants during the 1980s and 1990s in the face of threats from the feds.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 19, 2025

Future hikes will be tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a measurement of inflation.

From Washington Times • Jan. 1, 2024

Future increases would then be tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a measurement of inflation.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2023

It uses one of the broadest government measures of inflation, known as the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers‌, or C.P.I.-W.‌

From New York Times • Sep. 14, 2022

Clerical work is ruled out by wardrobe limitations.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Related Words

• ecclesiastical
• ministerial
• monastic
• pastoral
• rabbinical