anticlerical

American  

[an-tee-kler-i-kuhl, an-tahy-] / ˌæn tiˈklɛr ɪ kəl, ˌæn taɪ- /

adjective

1. opposed to the influence and activities of the clergy or the church in secular or public affairs.

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anticlerical British  

/ ˌæntɪˈklɛrɪkəl /

adjective

1. opposed to the power and influence of the clergy, esp in politics

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noun

1. a supporter of an anticlerical party

Other Word Forms

• anticlericalism
  noun
• anticlericalist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of anticlerical

First recorded in 1835–45; anti- + clerical

Example Sentences

The religious trend seen in Iran for years—the rise of anticlerical populist Shiism among those who still believe—may gain even more strength.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

Although the leaders of many anticlerical organizations were deemed heretics and suppressed by church leaders, they nevertheless laid the groundwork for the sixteenth-century religious revolution known as the Protestant Reformation.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

And though many of the tougher anticlerical laws have been eased in modern times, church-state separation remains entrenched as a core political concept.

From Washington Post • Dec. 18, 2019

“La Religieuse” is not so much anticlerical as it is anti-authoritarian.

From New York Times • Jan. 2, 2019

It begins as he intended, anticlerical; and so it will run for a while.

From Carmen Ariza by Stocking, Charles Francis