secular

American  

[sek-yuh-ler] / ˈsɛk yə lər /

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 (opposed to 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 (opposed to 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.

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noun

1. a layperson.

2. one of the secular clergy.

secular British  

/ 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

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noun

1. a member of the secular clergy

2. another word for layman

secular Cultural  

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

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Discover More

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

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

Etymology

Origin of secular

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

Explanation

Secular things are not religious. Anything not affiliated with a church or faith can be called secular. Non-religious people can be called atheists or agnostics, but to describe things, activities, or attitudes that have nothing to do with religion, you can use the word secular. Public schools are secular, but Catholic schools are not. Grocery stores are secular; a synagogue is not. If there's no religion involved, then you're in "the secular world" — as people sometimes call everything that exists outside of religion.

Example Sentences

Secular Iranians later came in droves to escape the Islamic Revolution in the late 1970s.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Secular and Christian popular culture swim in opposing halves of divided entertainment waters, despite broadcast TV’s lengthy history of featuring Christian-leaning shows.

From Salon • Mar. 29, 2026

The National Secular Society said the judgment was "an important victory for freedom of expression", describing Mr Coskun's protest as a "lawful act of political dissent".

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025

Secular stagnation, a damaging balance sheet reset, and sustained inflation are all in play.

From Barron's • Oct. 9, 2025

Secular advance, moral progress and the march of science, could never long be thwarted by religious tradition; on the contrary, speculative thought and artistic creation were considered as attributes of divinity.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 5 "Greek Law" to "Ground-Squirrel" by Various

Related Words

• civil
• materialistic
• worldly